Only the Young and Foolish
by silver-hedgehog
Summary: 'Gary stood up, scraping his chair back and causing a loud screeching echo to resonate. "I spoke to you for about ten minutes a couple of weeks ago and now you expect me to believe that you're pregnant?"' What happens when Leaf and Gary's lives are dramatically changed by the news of an incoming baby? A lot. Especially when someone is trying to keep them apart. ORS and slight PS.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, I'm baaacckkk! And with a new story no less! This is something that I've alwasy wanted to write but never did so I've decided to do it now! I mean, why not just go for it, right? Before I let you read on, I've included a summary in here. Here's hoping tis story goes down well and let me know what you think at the end!**

Summary

Leaf and Gary hadn't always seen eye to eye despite growing up as neighbours and being forced to be friends. Sure they'd talk sometimes but deep down they were more enemy than friends. But after a night together, and discovery of a baby on the way, can that help settle their differences and bring them together? Oldrival and slight pokeshipping.

Chapter 1

Leaf sat on the edge of her bed. Surely not... But then why had it not come at all? It always came at the same time every month without fail. It just simply couldn't be... But then...

But then she did have that night with him. And he has been her only one in a while so...

Leaf looked at the test in her hands and slowly removed her thumb from the little window, just enough to make out the edge of the horizontal line, then, nervously, a bit more and... There it was, the vertical line that intersected the horizontal to produce a plus sign. Her eyes widened in recognition. What should she do?

The test was positive. She was pregnant. She was sure of it too. It was her third test in two days and the other two she took yesterday read the same darn result. One test could lie but three? Things were looking more and more grim. At twenty one, with her final year of university to go and her whole life ahead of her and bright looking, she was sure she was not ready to settle down into a structured, normal life. Ever.

Leaf picked up her phone and picked up her phone and clicked onto the only social media app she used and clicked onto his profile.

Gary Oak.

He was smart, good-looking, an arrogant prick and a womaniser, often testing his skills to see how many woman he could sweep of their feet and onto his bed. How did Leaf fall for that? She was not sure of how, after all, she had grown up with him, and although they had not always gotten along she of all people should've been aware that he was just putting his moves on her that night when they were at a mutual friend's party with all that drink flowing. And people dancing closely; maybe too closely in hindsight.

How was she going to break the news to him? She hadn't spoken to him since that night. She had used the early morning as a cover to escape his flat while the boy was still asleep the next day. They had not exchanged numbers nor were they ever close enough to keep each other's number up to date. Leaf was sure that his phone number was different from when he was sixteen, the last time they had undertaken a project together back in high school.

It seemed her only option left was to let him know through social media but was that wise? To Leaf, conversations over social media always only seemed useful for casual, short-lived "hey, how's it going?" type conversations, not the "hey, I'm pregnant and the baby is yours, by the way. Have a nice day" type.

How was she supposed to word this so that she could say it without it being awkward? She could ask for his email address! Yes, she could email him the news in the form of a newsletter and... No, that was stupid. Of course such news should not be broken via email. She'd have to tell him in person. Maybe she could email the news to her parents instead... With the conclusion reached, leaf plucked up the courage to send the boy a message...

"Hi, how are you?"

Leaf shifted her thumb to the backspace button and held it there, erasing the message. Too casual.

"Hi, I've got something to say. Can we meet up?"

Leaf repeated her actions and deleted the message. To Leaf, it felt like she was inviting him out to confess her feelings to him, which by the way, she did NOT have any feelings for him.

She sat and thought about how to approach him in the message. She typed and deleted several times over and eventually gave up. There was no way this was going to happen so instead of facing her problems, Leaf chose to escape it for the meantime. She stepped of the bed, her usual oomph absent, and popped her shoes on, picked up her bag and stepped out of her flat that she shared with her friend, Misty, who she had met when she started her first year of university.

Leaf walked down to her nearby cafe and picked up and coffee then headed to the library where she continued on with her lab reports and research proposals.

She spent most of the day absorbed in her work, her mind only occasionally drifting to her growing baby but she quickly snapped herself out of that particular thought and pushed on.

Beep. Beep.

Leaf looked down at her phone.

_Misty._

She opened up thee text and read it.

_Hey, where are you? I thought it was fajita night tonight! Are you coming home for that? x_

Leaf looked at the time. It was almost seven already.

_Hi, yes! Of course! When have I ever missed fajita night! I'm at the library just now. Be back in a bit xxxxxxx_

With that Leaf finished off where she was and packed up her bag and, once packed, she stood up and as she did so felt light headed, almost passing out. She could feel herself hit the ground as she fell; only losing consciousness momentarily.

"You okay there?" Asked a voice.

Leaf slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked at where the voice came from, although she already knew who it was – she could tell from the lack of concern in the tone.

The father. Gary. He stood nonchalantly leaning against the shelf as he skimmed through the pages of a textbook.

Leaf looked at him blankly from her position on the ground and tried to think of something to say, but all that came out was, "the carpet here is lovely" before promptly climbing back onto her feet.

"Leaf? Gary?"

Both brunets turned to see Ash, the mutual friend's party that they had both attended, the guy who Leaf now saw as the catalyst (amongst many other things) to her problem. Ash was someone both Leaf and Gary had known since childhood. He was often the third member of any group projects they did and acted as a peacemaker between both Gary and Leaf's opposing flamboyant personalities.

"Ash, you're here late." Leaf said, Gary on the other hand just continued on with his reading, ignoring the black haired boy.

Ash ignored the girl's statement. "Are you okay, Leaf? That looked like quite a nasty fall."

"Apparently she likes the carpet." Gary stated completely deadpan.

"Really?" Ash replied as he looked down at the floor.

Leaf often wondered how Ash had managed to get into university, never mind a top university like Celadon.

"What are you doing here, Ash? Should you not be at mine for fajita night already? Misty's not going to be happy about both of us being late." Leaf said.

"I was just leaving."

"Me too."

"Shall we go together?"

"Sure."

"Bye Gary." Ash said as he and Leaf began to leave the library. They walked out of the library in silence and it wasn't until they were halfway home that Ash spoke up. "Leaf, we've known each other for a long time, right?"

Leaf looked at Ash, "Of course! You're my oldest friend! You know everything about me." _Except for one thing.  
_  
"Then can we be honest?"

"Of course."

"Are you seriously okay? You've been a bit different lately. Are you sick or something?" Ash asked and put a hand on Leaf's forehead which Leaf playfully batted away.

Sure Leaf had felt a tiny bit sick lately and sure she had had a lot on her mind and she had been a lot more tired lately but... Since when was Ash so observant? Leaf always remembered that time she broke her wrist when she was eight and how it took Ash a week to notice the mammoth cast around her hand!

"I've been okay, just uni has been stressful this year with coursework and exams coming up so soon." Leaf said, even though she was sure that was a lie. Leaf never let her work get the best of her; in fact, she thrived on the challenge of dealing with several tasks on her plate, her academic plate at least.

But she knew one thing for sure. She needed to act on things fast. If Ash noticed something is wrong with her, it was only a matter of time before the more observant people around her noticed too and act upon it.

* * *

_Hi, we need to talk in person._

Leaf stared at the writing on her phone screen until it faded into darkness. Did that sound appropriate? Maybe?

She deleted the message anyway and started typing again.

_Hi. We need to talk. In person. And no, it's not a love confession or anything crazy or wild like that._

Was that pushy? Yes. Most definitely.

Knock. Knock.

Leaf quickly shoved her phone under her pillow and looked at the ginger haired girl who had popped her head in.

"Hi." Leaf greeted with a smile.

"I'm about to serve dessert, you coming out for this."

"Of course." Leaf replied with enthusiasm and leaped off her bed, trying to act as normal as possible. She followed Misty to the kitchen area.

"What're you doing in there?" Misty asked as she cut a slice of apple pie and skilfully placed it on a clean plate without it crumbling in the slightest, and pushed it in front of Leaf who had taken a seat on the barstool across the breakfast bar.

"Just coursework and stuff. I can't believe all my deadlines are approaching so soon!" Leaf said as she shoved a forkful of pie into her mouth. She had made the decision to, for now, avoid telling Misty anything. That reminded her, she's have to sneakily empty the tests out of her bins before Misty offers to clean her room and stumbles upon it.

Leaf watched as Misty cut two more slices and plated it up then cling filmed the pie and stowed it away. "I'm going to take this next door; Ash'll probably want some too. Are coming over?"

Leaf eyed Misty up. "Me? Come over and be a third wheel? No thanks. I'm in a very committed relationship with my work."

Misty looked at Leaf, offended by her insinuation. "Ash and I are just friends. Nothing more."

"If you insist." Leaf said as Misty left and nipped across the hall where Ash stayed.

All alone, Leaf grabbed her plate and re-entered her bedroom and sat on her bed, taking one more mouthful of pie before setting her plate down on her bedside table and digging out her phone from under her pillow. Unlocking her phone and looking back at where she had left off, Leaf almost dropped her phone in shock.  
_  
Gary Oak is typing._

Why is Gary Oak typing?

Leaf had unintentionally sent the message. And worst of all, Gary had replied with his number followed by the words "call me."

* * *

Leaf sat and waited anxiously at a cafe on the other side of the city. The last thing she'd want is to taint her favourite cafe with memories of what was going to happen today (in her mind, there was no way the news was going to go down well with Gary). She had spent a considerable amount of time convincing Gary that she had to speak to him in person last night before he finally agreed to meet her.

Leaf glanced nervously on her watch. The king hand was almost on the three. Fifteen minutes. The boy was fifteen minutes late but it felt much longer than that.

She almost bounced off her seat when she heard the door open and (finally) saw Gary make an appearance. He took his time and ordered a coffee at the counter before he casually strode over and took the seat across from Leaf.

"What took you so long!" Leaf asked anxiously. She tried not to yell, it was a small cafe after all and she did not need everyone knowing about her condition. They may have been on the other side of town but word travelled fast around the area. Leaf was pretty certain that the girl sitting on the far side went to her uni and that it was not her paranoia playing tricks on her.

"Don't know if you've noticed but we're not exactly close to where I stay." Gary retorted. "And thanks for greeting me oh-so politely there."

Leaf pulled a face at him. That was something she was used to hearing from him back when they studied together at high school. "Point taken but you could've said something. I've been waiting!"

"I'm pretty sure whatever it is you wanted to say could've been said on the phone."

"I'd think not! I can't tell you that... I..." Leaf let out a frustrated groan. Picturing the conversation in her head was hard but trying to say it was a million times worse.

Gary eyed her suspiciously, then the waitress who set his mug on the table amorously, then back at Leaf suspiciously again.

"Look, I'm just going to come out and say it..." Leaf took a few deep breaths and eventually managed to let the words come out, "I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There was, to Leaf, an uncomfortable silence that followed her news. Gary had remained silent and drank his coffee as if he had heard nothing. What was this? Did he hear her? Or was this some sort of way he adopts to try to cope with news. Leaf was trying to read his reaction and when she decided that he had been given enough time to digest the news, she spoke up.

"Well?"

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

Leaf was insulted. "Excuse me? Why do you think I'd lie about something like that?"

"Are you hearing yourself?" Gary asked rhetorically then paused. He stood up, scraping his chair back. "I spoke to you for about ten minutes a couple of weeks ago and now you expect me to believe you're pregnant?"

Leaf stood up too, flustered, and looked around nervously. "Don't say it so loudly!"

The pair sat back down, Leaf feeling particularly nervous and Gary eyeing Leaf suspiciously. She had to admit, Gary did make her news sound maybe just slightly absurd.

"Look, whether you believe me or not, it's the truth but it was just so you know..." Leaf tailed off. Maybe she hadn't thought this through completely. What did she expect from him?

Maybe she had expected him to say he'd stay by her and support her. Or maybe she had expected him to know what she should do, for him to guide her. Whatever the reaction she had hoped for, she was sure about one thing: this was not what she was expecting. Judging from his reaction though, Leaf had to make a swift decision about what to do next.

"I know it's a lot to take in so... I'm just going to leave you to think about it. But bear in mind I am going to break this news to my parents."

And with that Leaf left, leaving Gary on his own.

* * *

Leaf dug around her bag for her keys and before she had even stepped foot into the flat she could hear Ash and Misty's conversation through the door.

"What's going on in here? I can hear you two outside!" Leaf said as she strode over to the couch. She looked at Ash's laptop and on it was a party invitation in the process of being made up. "Are you throwing _another_ party?"

"Mm-hm. Everybody's deadlines are within the next two days so I'm throwing a party on Friday night." Ash explained as he decided who to invite.

"We're still planning who to invite and what time at but we're thinking of just using both flat's so we can invite more people this time." Misty added as she concentrated on pointing at certain names on screen and pulling a face. "We'll make you a host too, in a moment."

"Okay." Leaf said then left the pair to plan the event. Once inside the room, Leaf shut the door behind her and leaned her back against it, sinking down as she recalled what had happened that day so far. She had met up with her baby's father, told him about their situation and... Came home only knowing that he thought that what she had said was a joke. That she was a joke and nothing more.

It wasn't easy trying to pick herself up from the thought, after all, she had hoped for... Well, she wasn't sure what she had hoped for. In her head, she had only planned as far as telling him but she had never ventured into his reaction.

Leaf shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about these things. She had deadlines to meet and she was not about to let a baby stop her from meeting them. She packed up her books and headed out to the library once again.

* * *

Leaf found that time passed much quicker when she had her head engorged in her studies. In the few hours that she had been there Leaf had managed to complete the majority of her work. She leaned back on her seat and stretched and yawned, relieving herself from all the stress from working before she rose.

She had surprised herself. Leaf hadn't expected to be able to do so much despite the waves of nausea and her breaks to rest her eyes.

Leaf looked around her to see that the majority of people had left already; in fact, there was only one other person left on the far side of the floor. At least that's what she assumed since there were several books left opened and strewn across the desk and a jacket that hung over the back of the seat. The more Leaf looked at the jacket, the more familiar it looked. It looked exactly like the one Gary was sporting earlier on in the day.

At the thought of the boy, Leaf could feel her inside churn and her stomach contents rise up into her throat. She made a dash for the bathroom before she vomited all over the place. Leaf leaned over the toilet and gripped the edge as she heaved.

Sitting on the floor next to the toilet Leaf could recall several other bad days however, none of which topped today.

* * *

The following two days passed in a blur. Leaf had followed the full routine of waking up, attending classes and studying with the occasional necessity to keep function woven within the day as well as the odd waves of nausea.

It was Friday morning and as per usual, Leaf had managed to complete her work on schedule and submit in the early morning, a good few hours before the deadline just to be safe.

Leaf made herself comfortable at an empty desk by the window at the library and decanted the books from her bag. Even though her coursework had been submitted and were now out of sight and out of mind, she still had her exams to be concerned with, and just because everyone else had started celebrating the last of their coursework submission, that did not mean Leaf was allowed to skip her study regime; although she had planned to finish work earlier than usual today. After all it was the day of the party.

The party was actually something that lingered in Leaf's mind all week. Student party parties were always alcohol fuelled and Leaf pondered how she was going to get away without drinking. Ash had made Leaf and Misty hosts of the party too and they were expected to be more drunk than their guests but all Leaf could think about was the little life that was slowly growing in her belly.

She had thought about abstaining from drinks but then she'd be judged for being the loner in a corner. She thought about buying bottles of vodka and substituting its contents with water to fool everyone around her and using the vodka to spike the punch. After all, the more drunk her guests were, the less likely they were to notice that Leaf was one hundred percent sober; the only one who would be completely sober.

Leaf shook her head and instead started to work on her notes. It was best if she left all thoughts of tonight out of her mind for the time being.

A couple of hours passed before Leaf packed up her belongings and left the library, returning back to her flat to find that their furniture had been re-arranged by Misty and Ash in preparation to fit all their party guests and their drinks and the homemade alcoholic punch. She could hear the sound of music playing in the flat from Misty's room as she dressed into a red dress that clung to her body and a pair of strappy sandals.

Leaf entered her room and shut the door behind her. There wasn't much time left for her to decide what to do. It was looking like she was going to have to wing it and hope for the best. She was hoping that no one would even pay her much attention.

Leaf prepared herself for the night ahead, taking a brisk shower and changing into her party outfit of a light green dress and ankle boots before quickly adding a small touch of make-up. She then quickly decanted the contents from her bottle of vodka into an old water bottle and slipped it under her bed before she filled the now empty bottle with ordinary tap water.

It wasn't long before the first of the party guests started to arrive. The music was playing and the drinks started to flow too, and Leaf was still in her room, trying to delay seeing people for as long as she could. Under normal circumstances, Leaf would be out there mingling and being the spirit of the party, one of the main driving forces, encouraging people to play games and getting people absolutely wasted.

Misty had popped in a couple of times already to see what Leaf was up to and each time Leaf had pretended to be preoccupied with a phone call from back home. No one ever questioned that – it was like an unwritten rule.

It was nine before Leaf had left her room to mingle, an hour after the first guests arrived and some were already away with the fairies and hooking up after a few days of abstaining due to deadlines. Leaf scanned the room for the safest place to stand. She could see the green headed party goers and his friends- the snobby law group, as Leaf liked to refer to them as- and decided to avoid them (there was no doubt that they'd make her drink endless wine). In another group was the blue haired girl that Leaf had often shared good, drunken heart to heart conversations with, once in their bathtub but mostly in the cubical of the lady's room in many clubs.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she could vaguely make out a familiar form. Gary was here. She could feel him watch her for a moment before she moved off to the drinks table and placed her bottle of "vodka" down and poured some into a glass, topped off with some lemonade.

"Hey Leaf." Crap. Someone started a conversation. And it was Dawn no less.

"Hi Dawn, how're you? Are you having a good time?" Leaf asked. She tried to act natural, but not so natural as to give off the impression that she was completely sober.

"I'm great, this is a great party! Everyone is beautiful and is that vodka you have?" Dawn asked as she lifted Leaf's bottle of "vodka" and proceeded to take a long swig, then pulled a face afterwards. "Ewww, I never understand why people drink that stuff."

Leaf blinked at Dawn. Could that girl really not tell that she had actually just drunk water? "It's cheap." Leaf replied casually then proceeded to lift her plastic cup to her lips, only to have it taken out of her hands by... Gary.

The boy had moved from his position across the room from the group he was talking to and next to Leaf and Dawn at the drinks table.

"Ladies." He greeted charmingly with his smile that could make a girl swoon.

"Hi Gary!" Dawn said excitedly as she jumped and hugged him before taking a sip of whatever he had in his cup.

Leaf watched in as Dawn slowly let herself slide off his body and then bounce off to talk to another group of party-goers. It was only Gary and Leaf left at the drinks table. Leaf didn't know what to say to him. Whatever she'd come out with must surely be awkward.

"IF you really are then you shouldn't be having this." Gary said, breaking the silence. He downed Leaf's cup of diluted lemonade and plonked the cup on the table.

"I am and that was just a lemonade and water." Leaf said and lifted her bottle. "This is not what it says on the label."

The silence between the two returned. They stood and watched people for a moment before Misty and Ash appeared out of nowhere with a six pack of beer each. Ash broke into the wrapper and started to pull the cans free from their binding and handed them to Misty.

"One for you." She said and handed a can to Leaf and then turned to Gary, "And one for you too." She shoved one into Gary's hands too before cracking open one for herself and one for Ash.

"Cheers to another successful night!" Ash said as he lifted his can up.

Misty reciprocated his action and then proceeded to drink her can.

Leaf looked over towards Gary and had noticed that he was drinking his can too. Acting fast, Leaf pretended to take a drink too.

"Hey, isn't that Melody over there?" Ash said as he pointed to a girl at the far side of the room.

"Yeah. Let's go say hi." Misty said then left with Ash.

Once again it was just Leaf and Gary left.

"What am I going to do with this?" Leaf asked as she took a whiff of the contents hen proceeded to pull a face to show her disapproval. Did beer always smell that rancid?

Without saying a word, Gary switched her full can for his empty one and started to drink hers while Leaf just stared blank from her hands to him and back. She had to admit, sometimes, just sometimes, that Gary was quite a looker. He always had perfectly spiked hair and the most mesmerising blue eyes. If only he acted so gentlemanly as he did there and not like the stuck up prick he actually is all the time.

"You downed yours?" Leaf asked as she watched Gary. He was facing straight ahead, watching the crowd as he leaned against the table.

"There's not that much in a can." Gary said with a shrug.

"Thanks." Leaf mumbled as she too leaned back against the table. She had a feeling she was going to need him around her a lot tonight.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) if you did, let me know and I'll be happy and I'll try to update again soon! I'm in a writing kind of mood just now!

silver-hedgehog

x x x


	3. Chapter 3

I'm finally back with an update! I had writers block for ages but thanks to my creative dreams, I've managed to sort that pickle out! Anyway, I shall let you crack on.

Chapter 3

Gary woke up with a splitting headache and a lack of memory of what had happened last night. He could vaguely remember drinking a lot of beer and wine and different mixers at the flat party but he didn't remember leaving. He looked around the flat. Plain walls with a giant tree shaped photo frame with photos of people in place on the leaves, paper scattered on the desk and clothes strewn on the floor. This wasn't his room. His room was much more impersonal than that. And tidier.

On the floor of the other side of the bed was Leaf. She had slept there last night after putting Gary to sleep in her bed. It was the least she could do after he downed all her drinks for her at the party. He had stayed near her all night and casually, yet boisterously jumped into her conversations with people when they offered her a drink so it was no surprise that by the end of the night Gary was completely wasted to the point that he slurred his words and was incapable of standing upright. Hence Leaf was left with no choice but to help him out. She guided him to her room and had laid him to sleep, putting a sick bucket by his side of the bed. Later on in the night when Leaf was tired, she couldn't decide what to do. At first she tried to sleep on the far side of the bed but whenever that happened, Gary would roll towards her and drape an arm around her body, pulling her close to him.

As a result, she ended up where she was now, sleeping on the fluffy carpet with the spare blanket and pillow.

Gary got up and out of bed, pulling on his shirt and his jeans before he approached the side that Leaf was sleeping on and gently poking her with his foot. She stirred slightly before cracking an eye open to see the boy towering over her cocooned body.

Leaf eventually sat up after blinking several times. "What time is it?" She yawned and wrapped the blanket around herself and leaned against the side of her bed.

Gary looked around her room until he located the clock sitting snuggly on her shelf in amongst all her books and photo albums. "Coming up for eight."

"It's so early." Leaf yawned she reached over towards her desk and felt around until she found her bobbles then tied her hair up in a messy bun. After that she proceeded to root around for her diary. "Yoga class at noon." She read aloud.

"Seriously, yoga, what are you? Some sort of hippy." Gary asked with a raised brow.

Leaf stuck her tongue out at him and stood up with the blanket still around her. Gary did not need to see her in her pyjamas.

"It's relaxing and very therapeutic." Leaf stated matter-of-fact before she changed the subject. "Now, how do I get you out of here."

"Through the door like any normal person?" Gary suggested with a raised brow.

"We only live on the second floor. It's not that big a drop down from the window. Plus the grass can cushion your fall." Leaf really did not feel that it was necessary for Misty to know that Gary had stayed the night in their flat and it was the same for Gary.

"Just go distract your flatmate so I can slip out." He ordered.

Leaf pulled a face then opened the door, only to quickly retreat, repulsed the smell of her beloved bacon. She leaped across the room and cracked open a window and stuck her head out.

Gary watched Leaf as she calmed herself down. She had her head hanging out of the window like a dog, except with less enthusiasm.

"Is this some hippy morning ritual you do?" Gary questioned. He stood next to Leaf and watched her cautiously.

Leaf slowly shock her head once she pulled herself back into her room. "No, it's that smell."

"What smell?" Gary asked as he took a whiff of the air. He could smell something... "Breakfast?"

"Bacon." Leaf said

"What's wrong with bacon?" Gary asked.

"The smell." Leaf said before sinking down to the bucket next to her foot and clutching. "Oh, the smell."

"You hate bacon that much?"

Leaf shook her head. "I like bacon but... It must be the baby." She looked down at her belly, still flat and not any different than what it looked like normally.

Gary had forgotten that Leaf was (or possibly) pregnant. So in a way, his headache was kind of her fault.

"How am I supposed to get out of here if you can't go out there and cause a distraction?"

"Give it few minutes. Misty usually nips across to Ash's flat after making me breakfast." Leaf said.

And true to her word, Misty did leave the flat a couple of minutes later and Gary managed to slip out, with the rashers of Leaf's unwanted bacon, unnoticed.

* * *

To Misty, Leaf seemed rather disconnected today, like she was only partly active. They walked along side each other heading towards the studio for their yoga class.

Leaf had thought about Gary all day. The boy seemed to believe her more than a few days ago when he first heard the news. She had no idea what had changed his mind and she hasn't spoken to him during the time in between her breaking the news and the party nor had she seen him more than maybe once or twice briefly when she was studying in the library.

"Are you okay, Leaf?" Misty asked. She had been talking to Leaf but had received limited response from her.

"I'm fine, think I'm still in the process of recovering from last night." Leaf lied.

"Last night was pretty wild. I don't even remember seeing you in the club!"

It was funny that Misty should mention that.

Gary was pretty, no make that really, drunk already when everyone was planning on leaving the party and hitting the clubs in town and Leaf thought about hiding in her room whilst everyone left. With how drunk Gary was, he wasn't going to be able to cover for her much longer.

Leaf did a pretty good job of feigning drunk. No one suspected a thing and she was so close to being able to hide from everyone too, until Misty found her retreating to her room and dragged her out of the flat.

Gary had followed Leaf out and had continued to cover for her and even shielded her from party-goers and crazy dancers who were throwing themselves from left to right, up against walls and at each other. Leaf had to admit that his charm was definitely more obvious when he was protecting her and their unborn child.

Leaf took the mat next to Misty's in the yoga studio and sat and steadied herself. She crossed one leg over the other and placed the back of her hands on her thighs and adopted a meditative pose.

Misty, too, had adopted the pose as they waited for the instructor to start class. In her head she thought about all the poses they tried in last week's class.

"How did you find last week's poses?" Misty asked.

Leaf cracked an eye open and looked at Misty from her peripheral vision. "It was alright, except for that headstand…" _Fuck! Headstand! _

Leaf had forgotten all about the difficult poses. Surely something like a headstand wasn't pregnancy approved?

Misty was rattling on about last class in the background as Leaf pondered how she could get out of doing it without Misty realising her secret. Would the 'I'm still hung-over and would rather stay right side up' card work? Or maybe she would get lucky and the tutor won't do any inversions. Either way, Leaf was about to find out.

Leaf watched as the tutor took her place on the mat at the front and folded herself into the same sitting position as everyone else.

In a moment of panic, Leaf ran out of the room and into the changing rooms.

"She's hung-over."

* * *

Leaf retreated back to the flat, leaving Misty to succumb to the relaxing aura of the yoga studio while she laid in bed with her laptop on and pages of information up before her eyes. Now that she knew she was pregnant, and Gary knew too, what did she have to do? Make an appointment with an obstetrician? That's what the internet was telling her to do. Then what?

Leaf's eyes scanned further down the page then quickly shut her laptop over. She had spent longer than expected, dwelling and not taking action. Instead, Leaf stepped in for a long, much needed shower then a power nap before work.

She had made it to work just in time for the start of her shift. How she managed that and get all her shirt buttons to line up perfectly was beyond her. She checked the rota on the wall in the staff room, then proceeded to the main dining area where she was working tonight, serving a corporate dinner dance. Leaf pulled a face. Those nights always involved wearing a lot of what she was dishing out for the dinner guests and trying to avoid the hurdles that are drunk people.

The room was already set up and the dinner party was due to commence in less than an hour. Leaf went over to the bar, where her colleague and friend Melody was standing, drying the silverware.

"I can't wait for this to be over." Leaf said.

"Me too, I still feel hungover from last night."

Leaf stared blankly at her before she swiftly replied with a "me too." She had almost forgotten that Melody was at the party too last night. "Thankfully my yoga class helps me detox after a night like last night."

"I'll try that next time." Melody said then and continued to wipe down the cutlery. "I didn't see much of you last night."

"Really?" Leaf asked? "You don't remember our little dance in the club last night?" Leaf lied. She remembered seeing Melody in the club last night but not for long- the girl was all over the place!

"No, I only remember seeing you from across your flat. You were talking to Gary for ages! Is something going on between you two?" Melody eyed Leaf suspiciously.

"Not at all." Leaf replied quickly. "We were just talking about home, you know? Pallet Town. I've heard there's been a bit of drama recently."

Melody continued to eye Leaf up sceptically. Everyone who knew of both Melody and Gary knew that Melody had a thing for Gary since they dated back in first year for a couple of months. And Melody made no secret of her hopes (or fate, as she calls it) of her and Gary reconciling by the end of their undergraduate life.

"Trust me," Leaf assured Melody. "Gary's not interested in me and the feeling is mutual."

"If you say so." Melody eventually said as she began rearranging glasses behind the bar quickly before whipping out a mirror and reapplying her lipstick.

"So, what is this company that's coming in for dinner tonight? I hope it's not one of those stuffy law meets again." Leaf groaned and dropped her head onto the bar-top.

"It's better than that." Melody said as she snapped her little mirror shut and looked at Leaf wickedly. "It's the Genetix company."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Leaf wondered aloud.

"It's the company that Gary interns at."

Fuck.

Leaf wondered why she didn't decide to take an extra day off when she asked for time off last week. Had she known that her life would change so much in the space of seven days, she would definitely have taken the night off to indulge in ice cream on her couch with a good movie or some soppy series.

"Are you on bar duty tonight?" Leaf asked Melody, who nodded in response.

"Unfortunately so."

"Any chance you want to swap with me? I'm on tables tonight and I really can't be bothered doing all that work."

"I already tried asking to swap positions with you. The boss man said no."

"Maybe you need to try nagging." Leaf said. Nobody ever said no to Leaf when she was on a mission. "Where is the man?"

"I think he's in his office."

"Right," Leaf acknowledged then headed over, ignoring the rest of the team and without knocking, she entered her boss' room. "Sir," Leaf started, "Do I really have to do the tables tonight?" She asked, ignoring that fact that her boss was busy faking a phone call.

He had heard her footsteps stalk closer to his room and had anticipated the moment that she would ask that very question.

Leaf stood in front of his desk and gave him her best sad eyes, the look that worked almost all the time to get what she wanted without fail. Her boss had anticipated that too and had made the wise choice months ago to invest in an office chair that allowed him to easily spin so that he could have his back to his desk and whoever stood over it. He batted his hand in a weak attempt to dismiss Leaf.

Leaf pouted and pulled out her phone, then proceeded to dial his number and within seconds, her boss' phone lit up and the sound of birds chirping filled the room. He spun round in his chair, after cursing that he didn't turn his phone off.

"Okay, Leaf, you got me."

"So? Can I swap with Melody?" Leaf fired without missing a beat.

"You know I'd normally say yes. But..."

Leaf looked intently at her boss. Her look of sadness and despair burned into him. He avoided her gaze and tried to look at the papers on his desk instead, pretending that they were of great importance.  
"The people coming to dinner tonight are great spenders when it comes to their drinks and we really need someone who has the looks and ability to charm people into spending more at the bar." He started but was quick to add, "And you're such an efficient employee when it comes to serving meals. It seemed like such an obvious solution."

"But-"

"And you had last week off and poor Melody had to do the hard part of serving the tables. The girl deserves a break."

"But-"

"Plus, you owe me the hours and that's the only job available for you tonight."

Leaf let out a sigh of defeat. She couldn't argue with that. She took so much time off recently that she really did owe him the hours. "Fine."

"Good, I'm glad you understand. Now out you go, the first of the guests should be arriving soon."

Leaf left the office with a pout on her face. She really hated her job working as a waitress at a posh hotel restaurant sometimes. The only reason she kept the job was because of the good money and tolerable colleagues. Melody wasn't too bad to work with once Leaf started talking to her; in fact, she was actually really nice and friendly albeit a bit of a weird stalker type nice. And every other member of staff her age was pretty nice too.

"Well?" Melody popped out of nowhere and looked at Leaf with hopeful eyes.

"Sorry, he's determined. He even tried the whole fake phone call thing."

"I hate it when he does that."

"I better go check in with the table staff." Leaf said before leaving Melody behind to go assemble with her team.

"There you are!" Jessie, one of the managers of the restaurant said. "I've been looking for you. I've just assigned tables for everyone to serve for an efficient evening."

"Right, where am I assigned to?" Leaf asked as she fixed her hair which had come loose from its bun.

"The only one left is table four." Jessie answered and pointed to the circle on her map of the room. "You'll be in charge of serving their food, clearing their tables and offering them wine top ups and doing drink runs if requested."

"Right." Leaf nodded. Table four out of ten tables wasn't too bad. Surely an intern would be placed at tables nine or ten. Leaf was almost positive that she would not need to serve Gary.

"Okay, now go do your last table checks for cutlery. And make sure the table centrepiece is facing the door." Jessie said. "Our guests are due any minute."

* * *

Half an hour later and the room was all set. The lights were dimmed, the purple wall lights were illuminated, and creating a very impressive vibe of luxury and expensive taste and the massive violet and blue floral centrepiece cascaded down from the cylindrical tropical fish tank beautifully.

The dinner guests were outside the event room and enjoying some champagne and nibbles in the lounge as they mingled. Slowly, one by one, the guess started to flow into the room and taking their assigned seats.

To Leaf's relief, she saw no sight of Gary at her table. Or at any table for that matter.

A few of the tables seemed to have a vacant seat, but Leaf was thankful that hers was not one of them. That meant Gary definitely wasn't at her table. For some reason Leaf felt relieved by that and was able to cheerfully but professional offer the table an option of red or white wine, that was until she reached one of the guests.

"Red or white, sir?" She asked with a smile.

"Leaf?"

Leaf's eyes widened as she took in the sight of Gary. Gary!

"Gary?" She said back questioningly, despite it clearly being him. "What're you doing here?"

"I intern for the company. I could ask you the same thing."

"I work here." Leaf said bluntly as she motioned to her uniform of a black skirt and a fitted, crisp white shirt and the bottles of wine in her arms. "Now back to my question," leaf said and held up the bottles, "Red or white?"

"Red." Leaf nodded and filled his glass with the wine then moved on. She had to admit, Gary recovered from last night well. He didn't look at all like he had drank to the stage of being violently ill and close to alcohol poisoning only less than twenty-four hours ago. Whatever he did, Leaf would like to know his secret.

* * *

The evening ran pretty smoothly. Leaf had managed to maintain contact time, including on job questions, chit chat and general lingering, to a minimum whilst serving the first two courses. She hated nothing more than the awkward chat with dinner guests.

"Okay, last course to serve." Jessie said as she summoned all the servers to the kitchen counter and ordered them all to grab the desert plate.

Leaf waited in line and grabbed four, two on each arm, before walking at a brisk pace out of the kitchen and to table four. Leaf managed to serve the majority of the plates smoothly until...

The hurdles! Leaf had forgotten about the drunk guests who had risen from their seats and staggered from table to table, mingling with people from different departments, some clear flirting going on. She had bumped into one of the intoxicated guests, the last plates still in hand, and was knocked off her feet, bashing her head off the back of a seat and losing consciousness for a moment.

* * *

Leaf woke up shortly after her fall, except she was no longer where she last remembered being. Around her was the colour white, and nothing more. Over to the left was a nurse who noticed that Leaf had woken up and proceeded to call the doctor in.

"How are you feeling, Miss Green?" The doctor asked.

"I feel fine... Am I in hospital?" Leaf asked, slight groggy still.

"You are, you had quite a nasty fall but I assure you, you and your baby are doing well but we're going to keep you in for observation." He finished before dismissing himself to let Leaf rest in peace.

"Your friend is just finishing off the paper work, I'm sure he'll be done really soon."

"He?" Leaf asked confused.

The nurse smiled and opened the door to leave, just in time to reveal Gary.

"Gary?" Leaf greeted confused by his presence.

"Yeah, don't be so surprised."

"Since when did you do nice things for people?"

"Since doing something nice can prove a point."

Leaf looked at him for a second before it clicked. "You didn't believe me."

"I just needed to be sure..."

Leaf looked at Gary suspiciously. Since when was he the type to let comments trail off when they're not sarcastic or witty? "There's something else, isn't there?"

"The other day... You said you're going to tell your parents."

"Right...?"

"What exactly are you going to tell them?"

"Well..." If truth be told, Leaf hadn't completely thought it through, and judging from the time she had the conversation with Gary, she definitely needed to come up with a solution to every possible outcome. "I'm not totally sure."

"Word of advice, don't mention me." Gary said bluntly.

Leaf stared at him. But he was one of the reason why Leaf faced her current predicament. "What?"

Gary looked intently at Leaf. "Don't mention me and in return, I'll help you look after yourself."

"Look after me?" Leaf replied incredulously, "I'm not a child! I can take care of myself fine, thank you. And if you don't want to be involved then don't be." Leaf laid back down and turned to face away from Gary. "I'm tired now, please leave."

Without a word, Gary left the room, letting the door shut on its own with a soft click.

Leaf let out a breath of air once she was sure that Gary had left, and slowly let her withheld tears trickle down her cheek and onto her pillow.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's slightly longer than my usual chapters but... You're not going to complain about that, right? Anyway, I hope I hear from you real soon and as soon as I get my essays over and done with, I'll be back!

Lot's of love and happy halloween,

silver-hedgehog


	4. Chapter 4

Helllooooo, my beautiful readers and welcome to my first update of 2016! I just want to say before I let you start, happy belated new year and happy reading this slightly longer chapter _Only the Young and Foolish _:)

Chapter 4

Leaf awoke the next day and was discharged from hospital after a quick check up from the doctor. It seemed Gary had taken up her offer of leaving her alone if he didn't want to be involved with their child. Leaf surprised herself. She didn't expect it to be so hard to take; after all, Gary wasn't exactly her friend per say.

Misty had left the flat by the time she returned home, giving Leaf plenty of time to rest and dwell on that fact that she was about to make her first appointment with an obstetrician. Her hands shook as she dialled the number that she had found online for the clinic on the other side of town. Leaf had always imagined this moment to be a glorious first: her first baby related phone call; her first baby with her first and only husband. She had expected this moment to be fill of joy and excitement, not the shame and nerves that she felt now.

Within a few rings, someone picked up at the other end and before she knew it, she had booked her first appointment for her baby. On Friday her and the little life within her would see a doctor. Alone. No boyfriend, husband or partner.

Pushing the thought aside, Leaf finally checked her messages from her phone yesterday.

A text from Misty saying _Where are you? xxx_ followed by three voice messages and a few texts and missed calls from Melody checking in on Leaf.

She had decided that Melody was not a priority- she'd see her at work on Monday- Misty was and she was going to be difficult to convince that Leaf was okay if the truth about her hospital stay came to light. Leaf let out a yawn then climbed under her sheets and laid there for barely a few seconds before she drifted off in the familiarity of her own bed.

* * *

The aroma of lunch wafted into Leaf's room as she awoke, causing the brunette to awaken from her semi-conscious state. She slowly peeled her duvet off her body and clambered out of bed and into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Leaf." Misty greeted when she noticed Leaf's presence. "I didn't know you were in."

"Yeah, I got back late last night and slept in today. It's what Sundays are for." Leaf answered casually.

"I see, I was wondering where you were last night."

"What's for lunch?" Leaf quickly changed the subject.

"I made some soup. It'll be ready in a few. Can you grab some cutlery out?" Misty asked as she sliced the baguette up and laid it out on a tray.

Leaf nodded and grabbed some spoons and bowls out from the cupboards.

There was a brief knock on the door before it opened up, revealing Ash.

"Hey guys," he greeted. He was still dressed in his pyjamas and his hair was pointing in all directions. "What's for lunch?"

"Misty's made soup." Leaf answered.

"Great!" Ash cheered.

The trio settled down for lunch on the couch. Leaf sat cross-legged on the floor with her bowl on the coffee table while Ash and Misty sat on the couch and somehow managed to balance their hot bowls in their hands.

"So how was work last night?" Ash asked, "I heard from Melody about your fall last night."

"What fall?" Misty asked.

"It was nothing." Leaf quickly dismissed. She really didn't think Misty would ever find out about it. "Just a small fall."

"Really? I heard from Melody that you were taken to hospital by Gary." Leaf really wished that Ash would shut up.

"Oh my god, Leaf. Are you okay?" Misty asked, concerned about Leaf.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine. I mean, they didn't even keep me in." Leaf lied. She really felt it was unnecessary to go into details about why it was vital for her to stay overnight in hospital. "I came home and slept like a log!"

Misty looked at Leaf before deciding that she had given a sufficient answer. "Okay, but the next time something like that happens you better call me!" Of course, Misty could not let Leaf off the hook without a mild scold at least.

"So what's the plan for later?" Ash asked, changing the subject.

"Come back here for dinner then pub golf starting at the The Ghastly down the road. Think we've to meet everyone there at nine." Misty answered. (A/N: Pub golf is a social event where by a group of people dressed like golfers travel from pub to pub, completing set tasks of drinking certain alcoholic drinks in varying quantities. Ironically alcoholic punishments are given to those who fail to complete the alcoholic task… Those who fail to dress as if they are going golfing are also punished with drinks.)

Leaf had totally forgotten that they were supposed to be meeting at the pub for another day of deadline submission celebrations. At least now Leaf had a good alibi for skipping.

"I might give it a miss. I feel like I can use a night in bed."

"Are you sure you're okay, Leaf? I can stay with you tonight if you want." Misty offered.

"No need. All I'm going to do is sleep so you might as well go out. At least one of us should enjoy the night."

"I guess... But call me if anything happens."

Leaf smiled back at her friend. She really appreciated how kind and caring Misty was to her friends but knowing how kind and caring she is made her worry what Misty would treat her like if she knew about the pregnancy.

* * *

Leaf felt as fresh as she could, after having only a couple hours of sleep. In her bed, she could hear Misty return from pub golf, trying her best to enter the flat quietly but the clutter of noises seemed to prove that she was failing miserably. She was intoxicated, after all.

Leaf managed a small bowl of cereal before she set off to her first antenatal appointment across town, not far from where she had met Gary to inform him of their mishap days earlier. She set out early enough to miss the rush hour traffic on the underground; though it was likely that she would be caught up in it on her way back later.

Standing before the hospital ward was when things really hit Leaf; the waves of nerves and nausea, fear and on some level, excitement, was more than she could bare. She could feel her limbs become increasingly limp as she stood for a good few minutes, watching people enter and leave the hospital, each expressing different emotions through their bodies. But what made her hurt and tear up wasn't the look of sad expressions and hunched shoulders but the beaming smiles of couples, who were clearly expecting a child with the one they love.

In people's mind, it has always been assumed that becoming a mother in a happy family was not a difficult task but for Leaf, she had always thought differently. To wake up and see the man she loved playing with their very own child seemed much harder than hitting the books or running a marathon and to her, that had always seemed like the ultimate prize in life.

"Are you alright there?" asked a voice behind Leaf.

The brunette had barely managed to catch a glimpse of the voice's owner before she blacked out.

* * *

"Ah, she's waking up."

Leaf's eyes slowly opened catching site of the young nurse moving aside for a young doctor to make his way through. "What happened?" Leaf croaked, her throat felt abnormally dry.

"You passed out while you were standing outside." The doctor said as he took down some information on a clipboard and then shone a bright light into Leaf's eyes. "I saw you standing outside from quite far down the road when I was heading in and you were still standing there by the time I got closer. You were looking quite pale too."

"I'm fine." Leaf managed to croak. "What time is it?" She asked, suddenly remembering why she was at the hospital. She reached over and grabbed the doctor's arm and pushed his sleeve up, peeking at his watch before attempting to stand up. She was late for her first appointment.

"Not yet, young lady, just let me finish." The doctor put a hand up to meet Leaf's forehead, stopping her from making her dramatic exit. "I've just got a few more routine checks and questions to ask before I can discharge you."

"Fine, but hurry or I'll have my appointment cancelled." Leaf pouted.

"Now, according to your driver's licence your name is Leaf Green, am I correct?" He asked and glanced up at Leaf for approval before continuing. "Your body was dehydrated so we've given you some fluid."

Leaf had somehow failed to notice that the nurse was in the midst of removing tape and a needle connected to a bag from her arm, maybe because her, mind was occupied by the fact that they had been into her bag and seem her bad driver licence photo.

"Now, since we managed to find you on our computer system, I take it you know that you're pre-"

"Yes." Leaf cut in abruptly. She did not need another reminder. "And I'm supposed to be at my appointment now." Leaf said as she hopped onto her feet.

"It's okay. We have been in contact with the obstetrics' department and we've changed your appointment time. After collapsing like that, it is important to be examined now rather than later."

The nurse was dismissed to tend to other patients round the ward as Leaf headed out of the room. Her hand had touched door handle when the doctor called out to her.

"I'll show you the way down."

"Thanks." Leaf mumbled before she opened the door up for both herself and the doctor whose name tag she finally managed to catch a glimpse of. Doctor Proctor. An unusually rhythmic name for a young, tall and somewhat attractive brunet. Leaf couldn't help but wonder if he became a doctor just for the rhyming title or was it an unfortunate accident that he didn't realise until he was qualified.

The walk down the first corridor was silent and awkward. Leaf didn't know what to say to the man, so instead she chose to study his looks. His head of slightly tussled up brown hair and bright eyes that made her feel nostalgic of the tree trunks of the forest back home back in Pallet Town, both comforting yet dangerous at the same time.

"So, Leaf, what do you do?" Doctor Proctor asked her, breaking her thought of home.

"I'm a student." Leaf answered with no further detail than necessary.

"What do you study?"

"Regeneration and Development of Stem Cells."

"Sounds smart."

"Coming from a doctor?" Leaf questioned with a raised brow. Her head was cocked up towards him and at the look of his face, she started giggling hysterically.

"What?" He asked her, confusion smeared across his delicate features.

"Nothing." Leaf replied once she'd calmed down and the atmosphere between the settled back into silence, although a more relaxed one this time.

"I know it's not my business but do you know what you want to do next?" He asked, referring to her unborn child.

"I've always wanted to get a PHD in Stem Cell Research but it seems my next steps are going slightly differently than planned…" Leaf had to admit that she hadn't thought everything through. She had always dreamed of being a top scientific researcher in her chosen field and be a wife to an intelligent and handsome man and a doting mother to at least one child, ideally a girl, and live in a modest house in the countryside. "I guess I'll have to leave the PHD dream for a few years."

"You know, keeping it isn't the only option… Anyway, we're here." Doctor Proctor said as he stopped in front of a door midway down a long, but quiet and almost empty corridor.

"Thanks." Leaf replied before knocking on the door and heading in, bidding a goodbye as she moved. The option of abortion once again back in her mind.

* * *

Leaf's early morning trip to the hospital had taken much longer than expected. But on the plus side, she had managed to avoid the morning rush hour on the train back and had managed to get a seat. It was barely eleven by the time Leaf made it back to her flat and judging by the undisturbed plates from the day before, Misty was still not awake.

Leaf took the opportunity to examine her baby scan photo with more care. In silence of the flat, she could hear her own breath as she ran a finger over her baby. There was an absence of any distinguishable features but already she felt an overwhelming love for this child that she had only been aware of inside her for less than a fortnight and it was at that moment that she knew abortion was not an option.

She sat for a few moments longer before she became aware of the sound of shuffling in Misty's room and the door creaking open. The scans had immediately been shoved carefully back into the yellow envelop in Leaf's bag before the ginger-haired girl stumbled out of her room, looking worse for wear. It took Misty a while before she noticed Leaf perched on the couch.

"You're up early." Misty yawned as she ruffled her own hair then pulled the hood of her dressing gown up. Her arms wrapped round one of the cushions on the couch.

"It's almost like half eleven." Leaf pointed out.

Misty chose to ignore Leaf's point and instead snuggled further into her fluffy cushion and slide deeper into the couch.

"So what's the gossip from last night?" Leaf asked she got up and poured Misty a glass of water.

"Thanks." Misty accepted the glass and temporarily loosened her hold on the cushion. "Lemme try and remember… Dawn failed at every challenge, Drew may have hooked up with that brunette girl that works at the Old Tavern..."

"Are you talking about May?" Ash asked, suddenly appearing at the door with his Pikachu onesie on. He marched over to the island in the open kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. Leaf was surprised at how energetic he looked for someone who had been on a bender the night before.

"Yeah, that's the girl." Misty said. "What else happened last night? I can't remember much of it."

"You got into a fight with a bouncer." Ash said and Leaf snorted at the news.

"What happened?"

"She tried to steal a bottle of tequila."

"Misty, what have I told you about stealing?" Leaf teased.

"Only do it when you're distracting the bartender." Misty muttered. "At least I didn't get beaten up."

"Who got beaten up?" Leaf asked.

"Melody." Ash replied. "She got into a cat fight with some other girl after she saw Gary flirting with her."

"Oh." Leaf didn't know what to say. It wasn't the first time that an incident involving Melody, Gary and a third party female had happened before but hearing about it now in her condition felt much harder to take. Clearly it didn't take him long to get over the news nor did it take him long to decide to take her up on the offer of leaving her alone.

"Needless to say Gary then had this massive argument with Melody and she went off in a huff. Thankfully it was the end of the night then so the main event wasn't ruined." Ash pointed out optimistically. "That aside though, pub golf was a huge success!"

"A lot of people were disappointed that you weren't there." Misty said, feeling better. Her throbbing head was slowly retreating and the conversation of last night's events was bringing back more of her memories from the night before, many she'd rather not remember.

"I know. It was my suggestion as well…" Leaf pouted.

"Well, it wasn't the same without you if that makes you feel any better." Ash chimed.

"I bet it wasn't." Leaf said, "Gutted I missed it though."

"We can go to the pub later to make up for it." Ash suggested and earned a groan in response from Misty.

"We can go to the pub but I am not drinking." Misty said.

Ash and Leaf looked at each other then laughed in response, for they knew that that was in fact a complete lie.

* * *

The rest of the day passed pretty normally. Leaf had managed to stash her scans and related paper work away in one of her many folders in the box under her bed while she started packing a small bag to take home with her next week. Misty had spent most of the day on the couch with her DVD boxset of _Downtown Abbey, _countless glasses of water, a loaf of bread and jam on the coffee table since Leaf is incapable of cooking anything edible and Ash, as they had found out as soon as they started watching the tele, was still drunk and felt that _Downtown Abbey_, Misty's favourite show, required "modern day English" translation and commentary.

By the time dinner rolled round, Misty was visibly more refreshed and Ash had shifted from his drunk stage to his hangover stage, whereby tears, tantrums and painkillers were involved. And when the girls managed to convince Ash to change out of his onesie and into more acceptable attire for going out to the pub, the trio left the flat for dinner.

Leaf was glad to get out of the flat. Being in the flat constantly reminded her of the baby and the evidence of its existence under her bed. She was also thankful that they'd made a no alcohol pact before they left.

"That burger was amazing." Leaf said as the waitress took her plate away.

"Agreed. We really need to do this more often." Misty said then took a sip out of her glass of juice.

The pub was fairly quiet, only a few other customers enjoying a meal while some enjoyed a cool drink up at the bar. The pub was always quiet when there were no sporting events on, resulting in cheap meal deals and beers which in turn attracted students like bees to honey.

"I fancy our usual pudding." Leaf said.

"Me too." Misty agreed then looked over at Ash, who was comatose after eating two burgers. "I think Ash is taking a pass on this course though. But it's your turn to order anyway."

"Fine." Leaf pouted then rose to her feet and started towards the bar, purse in hand. There was nothing like a slice of hot chocolate fudge cake and ice cream to end a calorific meal. She hadn't realised the students slowly filing in and cluttering the bar within the short space of time spent deciding whether or not to have cake. Looking at the faces, Leaf recognised many from her course.

"Hey Leaf." Greeted Giselle, "glad you could make it to tonight's pub night. We missed you last night."

Leaf had totally forgotten about the planned pub quiz night. The biological science group leader, Giselle, had planned an end of term pub quiz for tonight. And at that realisation, Leaf suddenly remembered that Gary was also part of the biological science group…

"Yeah, I wasn't feeling all that great last night, but I'm ready for your pub quiz tonight."

"Glad to hear it. It's an open bar for everyone who's part of the group so drink up."

"Great." Leaf smiled even deep down at that very moment, she dreaded those two words. Why were all the fun things happening now? Forgetting about her original task, Leaf returned to her seat. "Turns out the big biological society night out is tonight and I totally forgot!" Leaf said as soon as she plopped herself back down in her seat.

"I heard the bio students are wild." Misty commented.

"Any other night I'd be all for pretending to be a bio student but not tonight. I can feel the remnant of last night's drinks churning in my stomach along with that burger." Ash commented, temporarily regaining consciousness.

"It's a good thing we didn't order you any cake then." Misty said.

"Ah! I forgot t-" Leaf suddenly remembered that she had forgotten about the desserts when Giselle appeared over the empty seat at their table.

"You left this at the bar Leaf, and we're about to start the quiz soon since just about everyone has checked in. You better go find a group before they're all full! Remember, teams must contain between two and five people." Giselle ushered before bouncing off in an uncharacteristically energetic fashion.

"Well guess it's gonna be discount cake for us then." Misty concluded, referring to the post 8PM discount on baked goods at their local shop. "I'll see you later."

"Aren't you guys staying?" Leaf asked.

"Nah, I think Ash might end up in hospital if he has another drop of anything that's not water."

"Maybe I'll come home with you guys. I'm not sure if I-"

"Oh no you don't, Leaf, this is our last pre-Christmas social event and you are not missing it. I'm counting on you to get the party going!" Giselle interrupted and dragged the brunette over to the crowd, giving her no time to say goodbye. "Ah, Gary, glad you made it!" Giselle smiled, "We're about to start the pub quiz. Why don't you two pair up since you don't have a group?" She suggested before heading to a small podium-like desk where the microphone was set up and several papers were laid out in piles.

Leaf peeked at Gary out of the corner of her eye and she could see that Gary was blatantly staring back at her. Didn't he feel at all uncomfortable after their last encounter two nights ago?

"Are you in or not?" Gary asked, his tone seemed to bear no traces of discomposure. "We could use this time to have a proper talk."

"Sure." Leaf replied then followed Gary to a small corner table, slightly further away from the rest of their group and miles away from Giselle who was currently running microphone tests by spewing out the longest words she could think of.

Gary took his seat first before Leaf sat down and shuffled about, trying to settle in. How did she usually place her arms when she is out at a pub with the father of her unborn child who, as it stands, seems to be dissociating himself from said baby? Is arms on lap an acceptable sitting position? The pair waited for all the papers relating to the quiz to be handed out before either of them spoke a word.

"In hind sight I may have come across slightly harsh last night." Leaf had given her words a lot of thought during the silence. She had recognised that she had sprung a lot of information on him in a short space of time. Gary opened his mouth to speak, only to be met with Leaf's hand, signalling him to hold on, "But I stand by what I said the other night. Since then, I've been to see an obstetrician and just being in that room and answering all the questions and talking about it made everything sink in. There's no way I'm giving up the baby."

Gary tried to speak and again he was met with Leaf's hand.

"Let me finish." Leaf said then continued on, "I also stand by what I said about you wanting to be involved. If you want to be then you are by all means welcome but if not… That's fine too. I will do this with or without your help." Leaf stopped and took a breath. "I'm done now."

"Thinking back, I might've been slightly harsh too that night." Gary started then ran a hand through his hair. "I've been thinking about things too and I do want to be involved."

Leaf let out a sigh of relief. She had no idea up until then how much she wanted her child to have a father figure in its life.

"But," Gary continued on, "I want to keep this between us."

"What?" Leaf asked.

"I don't want anyone except me, you, our parents and your doctor knowing that I'm the father."

"I'll see what I can do." Leaf made no guarantees about keeping his identity a secret but at least their talk went better than last time.

"Anyway, we should probably pay attention to the questions if we want to win this quiz." Gary said then picked up the pen.

"Sure." Leaf smiled, "This can be our first team building exercise." She then grabbed the pen off Gary and took over.

* * *

I hope this instalment will suffice for now, my wonderful readers! As always, let me know what you think and I shall see you again real soon!

silver-hedgehog

x x x


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, my mini muffins, I've feeling super inspired this week which I just so happen to have off from college so here's another update! To the very few readers I have left: you better appreciate this! :P

Chapter 5

Coming first in the pub quiz should have been no surprise for Gary and Leaf, considering that they have a combined IQ that would've put groups of five to shame but their inability to settle on a team name and the delayed start hindered them. (What is choosing a baby name going to be like?)At least they won though, probably only because the deeper into the quiz, the drunker and rowdier the crowd became. After gracefully accepting their prize of a free bottle of champagne, the pair slipped out of the pub unnoticed. They had not decided on where to go next, all they knew that was that they had to leave fast.

Outside they were met with a cold winter night's air. A small layer of ice had formed over the surface and the street lamps and Christmas lights were the only source of illumination. Leaf wrapped herself up in her thick, navy hoodie with the Biological Society logo imprinted on the back, and the university symbol on the front. She had her hands in the pockets in a poor attempt to keep warm. Gary had a black jacket on and his hands too in his own pockets. They walked in silence on the busy street, trying to meander their way through the tipsy smokers and club-goers.

"I can't believe how much colder it's gotten in the space of a few hours." Leaf said as she kept her eyes on the path. It'd been much warmer when she left her flat with Misty and Ash and it had been frost free too. Leaf was trying hard to hide her struggle to walk on such a friction-less surface.

Gary smirked. "I guess that's why you're dressed more like you're taking the trash out instead."

"I'm flattered that you'd think I'd bother to get out of my pyjamas to do such a task." Leaf laughed, she had moved on from walking and started hopping from dry spot to dry spot on the ground.

"You look like an idiot doing that." Gary pointed out before slipping on a patch of ice.

"Yeah, but look who's still on their feet and who's not." Leaf teased, sticking her tongue out as she stood over him.

"True," Gary laughed as he stood back up again, "but I don't think hopping is on the recommended sports list for you."

"What are you suggesting? I crawl back to my flat? Was that why you were on the ground?" Leaf continued to speak to Gary in a teasing tone.

"You can if you want but what I was going to suggest is you come over to mine." Gary suggested, nodding his head to a door across the road from where they stood now.

Leaf contemplated her options. She could either do the ten-minute walk back to her flat, which, as she had found out over the years, was much more prone to freezing than where they were now and would therefore take longer than normal to walk, or head back to Gary's flat with him. Although, the last and only time she had been in his flat wasn't exactly one of her best moments but at least she'd be out of the cold.

"What about your flatmates?" Leaf asked. Weren't they meant to be keeping this a secret? What would he tell people if they were seen together?

"I only have one flatmate and he's out for his law society night out." Gary answered. "It'll be safe."

"Wasn't last time." Leaf murmured under her breath as she followed Gary to the edge of the road.

"Here, hold on to my arm." Gary said, holding out his arm for Leaf to link, then proceeded to walk across the road which was coated in black ice. He then pulled out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, holding it open for Leaf, who hesitated for a brief moment before entering.

Beyond the door revealed a relatively pristine and highly impersonal flat. The only identity the flat had was the few empty beer cans strewn on the floor. Leaf couldn't recall what it looked like last time she was here since her time in the living area, as far as she could remember, was a quick dash out, after a small fumble with the lock.

"It's certainly tidier than I thought it'd be." Leaf commented as she stepped further into the flat.

"Well, this is a bachelor pad for two single men." Gary shrugged as he removed his coat and dumped it on the couch for the meantime. "Want a drink?" He asked as he headed into the kitchen and grabbed a can of cola for himself.

"Just a glass of water is fine." Leaf shouted in. She had taken her hoodie off and was now too busy prying at the papers on the glass coffee table. Law papers. Nothing of interest. "So your flatmate studies law?"

"Yeah," Gary replied as he reappeared with a glass of water in hand for Leaf and a can for himself. "I think you know him, Drew."

"The green haired guy?" Leaf asked in a confirmatory manner to which Gary nodded. Leaf's eyes scanned further along the shelf as she took a sip of her water and stopping when something caught her attention. Her hand reached for the packet of cigarettes. "You smoke?"

"I don't personally. It must be one of the guys we had over." Gary guessed, "I hope you don't." He added, eyeing Leaf's stomach.

She shook her head. "No, and I certainly won't be starting a bad habit like that anytime soon." Her hand instinctively moved to feel her stomach. "I'm having a tough time trying to avoid the alcohol though. Everyone expects you to drink until you're paralytic around this time of year."

"I know." Gary said in a reminding tone. After downing all the drinks on Leaf's behalf at her last flat party, he could not forget.

"Thanks for that by the way. I really appreciated it." Leaf had never realised it before but she had never properly thanked Gary for protecting her that night.

"It's the least I can do..."

"Then I should probably stop withholding so much information. I had my first scan today." Leaf confessed.

Gary's brow furrowed. "So soon? Daisy never had hers until she was about twelve weeks pregnant."

"Yeah, but I kind of fainted when I got to the hospital so they decided to check that I was okay and that the baby was fine too, which we both are." Leaf finished as Gary stared at her.

"What was wrong?" Gary asked with a look of concern.

"I was dehydrated. It was a pretty long commute, you know and I was tired."

"And you couldn't schedule your appointment for another time? Like after we have had a better talk?"

"You sounded like you didn't want to be involved, I was only trying to look out for myself." Leaf defended, taking a small step away from Gary. She could feel her face heat up slightly.

"We hadn't finished talking that night at the hospital and it was clear that you were in no mind to talk."

"Could you blame me? You were making me sound like I was making it obligatory for you to take responsibility when I never have." Leaf felt like she was being cornered. She could feel her body heat up even more and her palms moisten. Her breaths became shorter and more rapid. "You know what? I'm just going to go."

"I'll walk you back."

"No," Leaf spoke rather harshly, "I'll go myself." She managed to open the door smoothly this time, and slam it shut on her way out. Her footsteps down the street were long, quick and angry, ignorant of all the looming pitfalls. Once or twice she managed to mutter a barely audible "excuse me" as she brushed past people hanging outside bars and clubs. No matter how fast she felt she was walking though, Gary's flat seemed to be the same short distance behind her.

"Excuse m-" Leaf tried to say as she walked straight into a guy among a group, standing outside one of her local bars.

"Are you okay?" Asked a familiar voice.

Leaf looked up to see... None other than Doctor Proctor. "I'm fine. What're you doing here?"

"I have a life when I'm off duty, you know." Doctor Proctor replied, "and why are you out and about? Didn't I tell you to get plenty of rest?" He asked as he took off his own jacket and placed it gently round Leaf's shoulders.

"Thanks," Leaf said as she silently cursed herself for leaving her hoodie in Gary's flat.

"No bother. Where're you heading to?" Doctor Proctor asked.

"Home. I want nothing more than to lie in bed." Leaf just about managed to get her words out before floods of tears spilled from her eyes. She surprised Doctor Proctor, whose response was to pull her close in a comforting embrace.

"I'll walk you home."

"Okay." Leaf whispered.

The brunette managed to regain her composure during their walk. Doctor Proctor decided that it was best to keep silent until Leaf was ready to say something on her own. As they approached Leaf's flat, the girl slowed down before stopping and turning to face him.

"That's me. Thanks for walking me back." Leaf said. She managed a warm smile before shrugging off the jacket and folding it gently.

"It's no bother. I just hope you're feeling better."

"I do actually. Thank you for your company too and sorry for being such a bore." Leaf apologised.

"I don't think you're a bore. I understand that you're going through a stressful time and need some company." Doctor Proctor said as he slipped his jacket back on. "Give me your phone for a second." Leaf obliged and handed her tattered phone over. "If you ever feel like you need some company, call me." He said and handed her phone back over.

"Thanks." Leaf retrieved her phone.

"I better not keep you any longer." Doctor Proctor smiled. "Goodnight Leaf." He said ten leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Leaf stood there stunned as she watched his form retreat into the night.

* * *

Leaf tossed and turned in her bed for most of the night, thinking about her talk with Gary. Maybe she had overreacted again. It was barely six and Leaf was up already. By the time she returned to the flat last night, Misty was in bed and the living room was left unusually tidy. Quietly, Leaf nipped across the hall and into the bathroom and sat in front of the toilet, trying to relieve her stomach from the nausea that kept her from sleeping when she did finally feel tired.

Once she felt better, Leaf crawled back into her bed, replaying the events of last night again. She remembered her time at the pub with Gary, and how much they'd debated over the answers and how she actually enjoyed herself. The short time they spent walking to his flat was actually pretty enjoyable too. His company was surprisingly more laidback than she had expected and he had a sparkle in his eye that she had never noticed before; not once even through all those projects they had teamed up to ace back in high school. Leaf sighed and reached over for her phone, jolting upright when she realised that Gary had sent her messages.

_Hey, hope you made it home safely last night and are feeling better now. We should meet up sometime today. Gary x_

Leaf stared at her screen before she gathered her senses and composed a reply.

_Sorry I overreacted last night. I'm free to meet later today if you are. Leaf x_

Leaf debated for a second whether to put the kiss at the end of the text but out of politeness, she decided that reciprocation was her safest option. Within seconds she heard her phone beep with a reply from Gary.

_Let's meet at the same cafe as last time at 5:30 x_

Leaf's heart fluttered as she read his reply. What was going on with her emotions? She had no idea but at least she was happy and before she knew it, fast asleep at last.

* * *

The underground to the other side of town was packed. Leaf had just managed to squeeze herself into the tube before the door shut behind her, skimming against her body as it went. The walk up and out of the subway was rushed too, surrounded by office workers who were done with work for today and were dying to get back to their haven. By the time Leaf made it to the cafe, Gary was already there, sitting at a booth and waiting for Leaf with a cup of coffee. Once he noticed Leaf, he stood up to greet her. Leaf couldn't help but notice that he was wearing a nice shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and some smart black suit trousers. And that he looked fine in them...

"Hey, glad you made it."

"You look smart." Leaf smiled before taking the booth seat facing Gary.

"It's what I wear at work." He replied, referring to the Internship that he was undertaking at the Genetix Company.

"I forgot you're still working. When do you stop for Christmas?"

"The end of the week." Gary replied, "I'll probably go home after work and stay until New Year's Eve. When are you heading back to Pallet?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow after work but I need to work on Christmas evening so I'll be home for a couple of days before coming back after Christmas lunch at home." Leaf replied.

"So soon? What about Ash and Misty?"

"We all leave tomorrow but they'll be home until New Year's Eve."

"So you're going to be by yourself in the flat for a week."

"It would appear so." Leaf said before changing the subject. "I should go get a coffee."

"Don't get a coffee. It's not good for the baby." Gary scolded.

"But we're at a coffee house." Leaf pointed out.

"True but you were at the pub yesterday and managed to not have a beer." Gary counterpointed. "Get a decaf or a hot chocolate."

"Maybe I'll get a muffin too. I finally feel like I might be able to stomach something now."

"You haven't eaten all day?"

Leaf shook her head. "I've been feeling really queasy that the thought of food makes me want to throw up."

"Stay here." Gary said before he got up and headed over to the counter. He returned shortly with a mug of hot milk and a small selection of cakes, scones and muffins. "Eat up."

Leafs face lit up at the sight of all the sweet treats. She sipped her hot milk and picked at the cakes. "I feel so much better."

"Thought you might. Daisy used to get pretty bad morning sickness. She swore by hot milk."

"Thanks for sharing your sister's wisdom with me. I can use it." Leaf finished the last of her milk then set the mug back onto the table.

"Shall we head?" Gary suggested.

"Sure." Leaf Said and followed Gary out.

"Where do you want to go to?" Leaf was pleasantly surprised that Gary was willing to do other things with her.

"I'm still a bit hungry." Leaf admitted.

"We can come back to mine. I'll make you dinner." Gary suggested as he led Leaf over to his car. "By the way, I have your hoodie in my car."

"What about Drew? And thanks, I've been dying without it." Leaf asked as she climbed into the car. She removed her jacket once the car had warmed up and wore her hoodie, savouring the warm fluffy feeling against her skin.

"He started seeing someone new. Don't think he'll be back tonight." Gary said as he pulled the car out of the car park and onto the main road.

"Is it May? That brunette girl?" Leaf asked, remembering the gossip from a few nights ago.

"I think so."

The rest of the journey to Gary's flat was filled with idle chit chat about people they knew and their current predicaments, though, none of theirs compared to Leaf and Gary's.

"So I think you have to agree with me that Melody is the person that we most definitely have to keep this a secret from."

"Okay, you win." Gary laughed as he opened the door to his flat for Leaf. He took his jacket off and placed it on the couch again. "Want a drink?"

"Just water again."

"Are you sure?" Gary asked.

"Yes and I promise not to get angry and storm off tonight." Leaf said and took a seat. She took off her hoodie that Gary had returned to her from yesterday and placed it on the couch beside her.

"And I'll try my best not to provoke you." Gary said.

Leaf gave Gary a look. "So what's for dinner, chef?"

"How does pan fried chicken sound?"

"Divine." Leaf replied, coming into the kitchen to watch Gary cook. "So you said you'll be back in Celadon on New Year's Eve?"

"Yup." Gary replied will chopping up some carrots and placing them in a baking tray and smothering it in honey.

"Will you be going straight back to work?" Leaf asked, working her to her desired question.

"I will on the second of January."

"Hmmm." Leaf contemplated her options. Her upper body was leaning against the counter and her chin rested in the palm of her hand.

"Why? Something wrong?"

"It's just... I have my scan to date the baby after new year. I've made an appointment for the second of January but I think you'll be at work then."

"It's no big deal. I'll take the day off." Gary shrugged and Leaf was more than thrilled to hear that.

The rest of the evening was as relaxed as the pub was last night. The conversation between the pair flowed, from confessing their aspirations to debating about current affairs. Once or twice, Leaf noticed Gary had even put an arm around her shoulder although the evening had to come to an end at some point.

"It's getting pretty late. I should probably head." Leaf yawned, grabbing her jacket and her bag.

"I'll give you lift." Gary insisted, picking up his keys ready to go.

"Thanks." Leaf smiled.

By the time Leaf got home, it was already ten. Misty was lying on one couch and Ash on the other. The lights were dimmed with a movie playing on the background as the pair played Monopoly with a bowl of popcorn and a tub of half melted cookies and cream ice cream sitting on the table.

"Who's winning?" Leaf asked as she took her jacket off and hung it on the peg next to door the slipping off her shoes and replacing slippers on instead.

"I am. Ash is going to go bankrupt at any moment." Misty replied devilishly. "Where've you been?"

"I've just been out with a couple of the bio soc people." Leaf lied flawlessly, taking a seat in front of the bowl of popcorn and grabbing a handful.

Ash picked up the die, giving it a vigorous shake before rolling. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he realised that he had managed to bypass Misty's hotels and onto his own property.

"How was the pub quiz last night, by the way?" Misty asked. Leaf had spent most of the morning in bed trying to hide her pale self that she hadn't bothered to leave her room to say good morning or goodbye to Misty before she went to work.

"It was good. My group w-" Leaf stopped herself from finishing her sentence. She couldn't tell Misty and Ash that she won a bottle of champagne when she didn't get to keep it. They'd ask her where it is and then what would she say? Gary insisted that he should keep it in the event that Ash or Misty opened it and tried to make her drink some too. "Almost won." Leaf corrected. And there was always the possibility that they'd find out about her teaming up with Gary.

"That sucks. Who won?" Ash asked.

"Gary's group." Leaf replied. "It was a close one though."

"I heard that he hooked up with someone from the bio soc last night?" Ash said, making Leaf positive that it was the right choice to say she wasn't in a group with Gary.

"Really? I wonder who it was?" Leaf asked aloud.

"Who told you that?" Misty asked.

"Drew told May that there was a bio soc hoodie on their couch last night when he returned this morning."

Leaf silently cursed resell for being forgetful, which actually reminded her that she had left her hoodie again.

"Wow, I thought he always avoided going out with people who he goes to uni with?" Misty said then picked up the die and rolled.

"He does normally. I wonder who this girl is." Ask confirmed. "She must be someone special if he broke his own rule."

"Melody is going to be raging." Misty laughed at the thought of Melody ripping the head off whoever the mystery girl was.

"Aren't you guys thinking it's weird that Drew didn't go home? According to Ash he returned to his flat this morning. Isn't there a rumour that he only invite girls to his flat and never stays at theirs?"

"That's a good point. Do you think he was with May?" Misty asked and started conspiring what may have happened last night. Leaf was thankful that her attempt to change the subject was successful.

* * *

The rest of the previous evening was spent trading Christmas gifts and indulging in mini mince pies that for once Ash had bought his own money. Misty left early in the morning, giving Leaf little time to bid her goodbye while Ash had decided to stick around until later when Leaf finishes work.

Leaf had made sure that all her bags were pre-packed before she went to work, her suitcases locked up and placed next to the door, ready for her to grab and go when she returned from her lunch shift at the hotel. Leaf actually dreaded the thought of the shift after the conversation about Gary seeing someone from the bio soc. There was no way that Melody will have not caught on to the news if Ash had, since they were all on the same course – rumours always spread like wild fire when Melody comes up with a theory.

By the time she arrived, Melody was already working, setting the tables but stopped but she wasted no time approaching Leaf when she spotted the brunette.

"How're you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you." Leaf smiled. She was surprised that Melody had bothered to ask about her health considering there was a rumour going round about Gary,

"Glad to hear it." Melody managed to squeeze out before she changed the subject to one that she was dying to snoop into. "So did you go to the bio soc pub crawl?"

Leaf knew the subject would come out and could guarantee that her next question would involve Gary. "Yeah, the pub quiz was fun. Giselle did a great job of arranging the night."

"I heard Gary hooked up with some girl that night." Melody confided. "Apparently her bio soc jumper was left there after the pub and again after last night."

"Really?" Leaf said, feigning her usual surprised, interested look. Only this time Leaf was genuinely surprised by how fast news had travelled.

"And apparently there was a long brown hair on the jumper."

Leaf watched Melody cautiously as she went into details, relieved that Melody had not noticed that Leaf had long brown hair and that she put her hair in a bun too, hiding her long locks. "How'd you find that out?" Leaf asked. The details were scarily specific.

"My friend May spent the night at Drew's last night. And apparently Drew noticed the jumper that was there the previous night but not the next morning but then it reappeared later that evening." Melody said. "I'd like to know who the girl is."

"How do we even know that it's just one person?" Leaf asked, raising questions to throw Melody off the scent. "In fact, how do we even know it's a female?" Leaf asked dramatically. In her experience, overdramatising and raising as many questions as possible usually works.

"Please Leaf, it's a long brown hair. There are so many brunettes in the bio soc that want to run their hands all over Gary's perfectly toned, muscular, dre-"

"I get it." Leaf interrupted. "But what I'm saying is he's not being public about this so it might be a dark secret. Like maybe he has a secret boyfriend. I mean, the long brown hair thing is catching on amongst some guys at uni." Leaf said, slowly trying to plant more theories into Melody's head, the more confused about things she got, the better and safer it was for Leaf.

"It seems... Unlikely." Melody said with hesitation and a crinkly nose at the idea before walking off and getting back to work.

Leaf let out a withheld breath, happy that Melody is unsuspicious of her; but it was definitely something to warn Gary about later. Pushing her thoughts aside, Leaf tried to concentrate on work, looking forward to going home to Pallet Town later.

* * *

Thought I should end this installment here before proof-reading becomes a total nightmare for me! Anyway, hope you enjoy and stay tuned for the next installment (whenever that may be, teehee). But in the meantime, I'll take any motivation in the form of reviews!

Love,

Silver-hedgehog

X x x


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The journey back to Pallet Town with Ash was fun, making the five hour bus journey seem less boring. They spaced the journey out by scheduling classic travelling games such as 'I Spy' and card games. Ash was wise this time and only agreed to the card games if they weren't going to play for money (most people only make that mistake once around Leaf). Once they arrived in the small, quaint Town of Pallet, the pair split up, Ash walking slight further out towards the fields and Leaf to the other side, just on the edge of town and into her parents' small bungalow that they had lived in since Leaf was six.

"I'm home." Leaf shouted in once she unlocked the door and put her bags down.

"Welcome home, honey." Greeted a familiar face. The woman was young-looking for a mother of a twenty-one year old daughter. "Come into the living room, I lit the fire ready for you coming home."

Leaf smiled and hugged her mother. She really missed not seeing her mother's face all the time, smiling at her, cooking her meal, doing her laundry... "I missed you mum." Leaf said, her face buried into her mother's shoulder.

"I missed you too, now come on through and warm up. I'll make you a cup of tea."

"Thanks mum." Leaf smiled then sat down on the rug in front of their open fireplace which illuminated the dim room whilst providing an excellent source of heat for the low-ceiling room. "Where's dad?" She shouted in.

"He's out picking up some last minute food. We'll have dinner when he gets back."

Leaf smiled at how comforting it was for her to be back in such a familiar place with such warm-hearted people. Looking around the room, she could see many framed memories hanging from the walls and resting on top of drawers. Some of which were family pictures, others were individual pictures, mostly of Leaf though who used to love being in front of the camera. Her eyes stopped at the sight of a family portrait. Her father, a young man, with an arm round his wife, who cradled a baby Leaf lovingly in her arms. She could see the pride and joy in her parents' eyes. And it broke her heart to think that it was going to be different for her. And how hard it was going to be to tell her parents the news.

"Here's you tea, Lea-" Leaf's mother reappeared with two cups of tea but rushed to set them down on the coffee table before embracing Leaf. "Are you okay, honey?" She wiped her daughter's tears with her thumb.

Leaf couldn't speak. Her sobbing had rendered her mute for a moment so instead she chose to seek comfort in her mother's arms. Why exactly did she react so badly now she had no idea but the thought of making her parents worry about her set Leaf off again.

"Oh my god." Leaf's mother started, clicking on to her daughter's unusual behaviour. "Something's happened. You're pregnant aren't you?"

Leaf could do nothing but give a weak nod. Her mother knew her well.

* * *

Dinner that night was quieter than Leaf would've liked but in a way, she was glad that the subject was out in the open. When asked all the questions that she had expected to be asked, Leaf had an answer ready for everything. When did this happen? What are you going to do? Will you be moving home? Who is the father?

She had managed to answer everything to a sufficient standard to satisfy her parents for now, even though she knew they were dying to ask more, resulting in the stunted conversation for most of the week. She was happy that they were so accepting of the news and didn't push her for more information in the meantime and sworn secrecy from telling anyone else for now – not that they had any relatives to inform the news to anyway.

Her time flew at home flew by and before she knew it, it was already the morning of Christmas Eve and Leaf had managed to slip out of the house for a walk to the field further out of town where she had arranged to meet Gary. She arrived before Gary did and took a seat as she waited, watching the snow pile up and cover the tall grass field where she'd used to hide in.

"Hey." Gary greeted as he walked over. He had an umbrella, sheltering him from the snow and a brown paper bag in his other hand. "You're early."

Leaf stood up to greet Gary. "Yeah, I got up early and didn't know what to do."

"I bought some breakfast." Gary said, indicating to the bag he brought.

Leaf wondered why she did not think to bring some sort of sustenance since she woke up early anyway. "Thanks."

Gary pulled out two flasks, one was of hot chocolate which he had prepared for Leaf and the other was of coffee which he provided for himself. "Here, this is for you." He handed her the flask and a mini muffin. "There's more in the bag."

Leaf was too busy digging in to give a proper response but Gary didn't mind, he understood what Leaf was trying to say. The pair sat in silence as the made their way through the majority of the food with Leaf occasionally inhaling extra deeply to catch a whiff of the coffee.

"So, I told my parents the news the other night." Even though they had been in contact through text messages, Leaf decided to wait until she met Gary in person to tell him the details.

"What did they say?"

Before she could answer, Leaf could feel herself welling up. "They've been so supportive. They've not pushed me to tell them what I can't just now but I feel guilty for not telling them everything. I didn't tell them that the baby is yours."

"I thought you were going to?"

"I will eventually... Maybe on my next visit but for now I don't feel like it's a fair of me to bring that kind of drama into your family's life." Leaf said. Pallet Town was a small community, more of a village than a town and Leaf knew how easily and how fast news travelled.

"I wouldn't have minded, if you did tell." Gary confessed. "They'll find out eventually, like when I return home with a baby in nine months."

Leaf gave a small laugh. "True but I'll be nice and try not to ruin Christmas at the Oak residence. My parents are actually quite excited at the prospect of being grandparents, although they can't help me out with much other than shelter after the baby comes."

Gary looked at Leaf. He'd known her for a long time, since she moved to Pallet Town when she was six but they have always lived in separate parts of town and he had never truly known exactly where or what her parents were like.

"What do your parents do?" He asked her.

"Mum's a piano teacher and dad's a landscaper." Leaf answered and it suddenly clicked in Gary's head.

"I take it your dad named you?"

Leaf nodded. "I used to feel awkward about it. But as I grew up I kind of understand that my dad's just a passionate man when it comes to his job." Leaf didn't need to ask Gary to know what his family did. Everyone knew about his family being scientists, top scientists in their respective fields even. Gary's future was set and had been decided for him before he was even conceived and Leaf was pretty sure that becoming a dad while he was still at university was not what they had planned for him.

"Don't suppose you're going to do the same as your dad then?" Gary laughed. "Name our child something crazy like Stem?" Leaf stayed quiet for a moment. "I was joking." Gary added, suddenly aware that Leaf was seriously considering it.

"But it'd kill so many birds with one stone." Leaf said. She eyed Gary mischievously from the side, her cheeky smile was more than enough to get the coldest of people to succumb to her wishes but for Gary, not so much.

"You have got to be kidding."

"But it kills four birds with one stone!

"Four?" Gary raised an eyebrow at her. Did she just get the saying wrong or was he missing something?

"Yeah, it'd work for a girl or a boy, it's a name that I'm happy with and it'd be a name that dad would be happy with too. Four birds." Leaf explained. "Five if you include the fact that it's catchy."

Gary looked at Leaf, trying to come up with a decent counterpoint but failing. Her logic, although lacking at times, was made up for by her persuasiveness. He gave up for now, he'd have to hope that Leaf would either forget or come up with a more normal name that they both agree on.

"So what's on the Christmas list this year?" He asked her.

"Not sure. But my parents usually like to be crafty. Mum knitted me some slippers last year, dad made me a gorgeous framed pressed leaf and I knitted them a scarf. This year I've crochet a throw for their bed." Leaf replied fondly. She had started early on in the year in order to ensure that she'd complete the throw on time.

"That's all?"

"Misty got me a lovely bath set and Ash got me some scented candles."

Gary was surprised. He never really knew what to expect from Leaf. In his experience, girls always wanted expensive things, the more the merrier, from jewellery, to perfume, to cosmetics or even a trip away somewhere.

"What about you?" Leaf asked.

"Just the usual kind of gifts." Gary replied nonchalantly, "new watch, shoes, Cologne."

"You get such fancy gifts." Leaf smiled. "I'll find out what mum and dad have crafted for me tomorrow morning."

After their meeting, Gary could not shake the feeling that Leaf was not totally content with her Christmas -there was definitely something that Leaf was holding back.

* * *

Christmas morning rolled around fast and the present opening passed in a blur. Leaf received an adorable, plump owl plushie, handmade by her mother and a hand drawn family portrait which brought a tear to Leaf's eye upon opening the present. Lunch was a pleasant affair too, a small turkey between the family of three, followed by a heartfelt fair well before Leaf caught a train back to Celadon City to prepare herself for her shift at the hotel and it was then she wondered whether the double pay was worth coming back to Celadon almost a week earlier, spending the next few days alone.

The buzz at work was crazy. There were ecstatic kids running around, drunk customers shouting across the restaurant and the aroma of the turkey and its stuffing was overwhelmingly mouth-watering. Leaf was definitely going to take some turkey home with her later. She was happy that the restaurant shut earlier at ten today since she was shattered from the journey and could use a rest.

"Thanks for doing the Christmas shift." The manager thanked Leaf.

"Actually, I'm only really here because I was too late trying to get today off." Leaf replied bluntly as she dried some plates.

"Still, I'm thankful that you actually turned up." He replied, "If there's something you want as a Christmas bonus, just say the word."

"Can I get a bigger Christmas bonus?" Leaf chanced.

"Something realistic, Leaf."

Without missing a beat Leaf replied with, "How about some towels that actually soak up water." She said, referring to the fact that she'd been standing there trying to dry the same plate for about ten minutes. "And maybe some of that turkey. It smells divine."

"Done and done." Her boss answered then left her to work in peace.

After work, Leaf walked back to her flat, dragging her suitcase with her. She had headed straight to work from her home in Pallet Town and dumped her belongings in her locker. Once home, she checked her phone and replied to the several merry Christmas messages from her friends and noticed that she had messages from Gary and one from Doctor Proctor too.

She replied to Proctor first, typing a simple _Merry Christmas :) Hope you're doing well x _back to him.

She then checked her messages from Gary, the first seemed like a generic Merry Christmas text that he sent out to everyone on his contact list, followed by a message that surprised her.

_Hey, I'm going to be in Celadon this evening. Let's meet up x_

Leaf noticed that it had been sent a couple of hours ago. _Sure, why not x_

She replied then put her phone down and turned the telly on as she unpacked her suitcase and separated her clothes into two piles: laundry and clean. Leaf shoved a load in before answering her new messages. Gary had replied to her last text.

_Want to come over? x_

Leaf contemplated her options.

_I've just started a load of laundry. Want to come over to mine instead? x_

Within seconds she got a reply of _Sure, see you in ten x_

Leaf smiled as she set her phone back down and looked back at her mess of clothes and underwear scattered on the floor. That was something she was definitely going to have to clean up first - and fast! The brunette had never cleaned up so fast before, she barely had time to fix herself before her buzzer went and Gary showed up.

"Hi," Leaf greeted as she opened the door for Gary and stepped aside to welcome him in.

"Merry Christmas." He said as he stepped inside and gave Leaf a brief hug.

Leaf could feel the cold air coming off his jacket, and smell his faint cologne as he leant in.

"Merry Christmas to you too." Leaf smiled. "I thought you weren't going to be back in town so soon."

"I wasn't doing anything at home anyway so I thought I'd spend some time getting to know my baby mumma." He replied then held up a bag, "Plus I bought snacks."

"Oh!" Leaf looked excitedly at the bag. "Perfect. I've not had the chance to buy any food yet."

Gary pulled out the items from the bag one but one and unloaded them onto the kitchen counter while Leaf grabbed a few glasses out.

"Don't suppose you bought something to drink too?" Leaf asked, waving the empty glasses and right on cue Gary pulled out a large bottle of Coke then a carton of orange juice.

"Wasn't sure what you fancied."

"Thanks." Leaf smiled. "I'll have something fizzy for now. Oh, and I have some turkey from the hotel." Leaf pulled out the box that her manager had the kitchen box up. "They gave me a huge portion so help yourself while I'm feeling generous."

"Thanks..." Gary laughed at Leaf. "So does your work know yet?"

"Nope." Leaf replied, plating up a bit of turkey. "I figured I'd do some research on the sly about what my rights are as a part timer in the company. Don't think it's looking good for me though. But I guess it doesn't really matter."

"How come?"

"Well, the baby won't be due until after I've graduated so I'll probably move back home to have the baby." Leaf specifically avoided the word birth to eliminate the image of horrible birth scenarios, whereby the baby gets stuck. And contractions. They sound awful.

"Back to Pallet?" Gary asked. He was surprised. It was their first time discussing this but he had assumed that Leaf would have the baby in Celadon, where she was now, near himself.

"Yeah." Leaf confirmed. "I have no idea how to look after a baby and I won't know what work will be like so it's likely that I won't be able to afford rent." For a festive day, the conversation had taken a grim turn, so instead, Leaf decided to let the subject be gone until nearer the time. "So how was Christmas at the Oak residence?" She asked and handed Gary a plate of food and led him over to the couch.

Gary was keen to find out more about Leaf's plans post-university but didn't protest when the subject had been altered. "Hectic like always. I'm actually glad to get away early this year. And now that you ask me, I actually have something small for you." He said then reached a hand into the bag that previously contained all the snacks for the remaining item. "Open it." He said as he handed her the wrapped gift.

Leaf set her plate down on the coffee table then accepted the gift, giving it a gentle shake before asking, "Will I break it if I shake it?"

"It's breakable." Gary replied.

"I wonder what it is." Leaf asked as she tore into the wrapping paper, revealing a small box. Inside the box was a small music box with a wind up handle on one side. "Oh my god... This is just the cutest thing ever." Leaf said as she wound the handle and the room filled with the high pitched melody.

"For the baby eventually when his hearing develops."

"Oh! When?!" Leaf asked enthusiastically.

"Around week twenty-three."

Leaf sighed. "That's ages away."

"Do you even know how far along you are?"

"No, but we'll find out soon enough." Leaf said before finally saying "thank you" to Gary for the gift.

"No bother."

Leaf smiled at him, "I better go put this in my room." She said as she stood up quickly, only to realise that that was a bad idea. She could feel all her blood suddenly rush up to her head, making her feel dizzy and falling over. Her arm hit the small table next to couch on her way down, swiping the photo frame and her glass of juice off the table, smashing the glass in the process.

Gary had attempted to catch Leaf but was too late, and the fact that Leaf had fallen slightly forward and out of his reach made things difficult. Instead, he helped Leaf sit up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just felt dizzy for a second." Leaf replied as she inspected her arm for any grazes from the broken glass.

Gary tried to help Leaf back up and onto her feet, only to discover that the brunette had gone over her ankle. "It looks slightly swollen. Do you have any ice?" Gary asked as he helped Leaf onto the couch and then headed into the kitchen.

"Yeah, in the top drawer of the freezer." Leaf shouted in as she rubbed her ankle.

"Found it." Gary Shouted out before he appeared moments later with some ice wrapped in a towel. "This should help with the swelling."

"Thanks," Leaf said as she held the towel over her ankle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Leaf's arm was bleeding. "Where's your first aid box?"

"Emm." Leaf paused to think. "Try the cupboard in the bathroom?" She guessed.

Gary nodded and followed her instructions and returned shortly with a small green box. "Give me your arm." He held out a hand and started to clean Leaf's wound, checking for small shards of glass. "When did you last eat?" Gary asked in an attempt to distract Leaf from the pain.

"..." Leaf stayed silent in thought as she tried to answer the boy. When _was_ her last meal?

"Thought much."

* * *

Gary left later that night, leaving Leaf the privacy to slowly take a shower and hang her laundry, something she wasn't prepared to do with Gary around. It was quiet in the flat but Leaf did not mind. She sat on her bed and reached over for her new little gadget – her music box with a small wind up handle – and started to play the music. It was not a song that she was familiar with but she loved it anyway.

(A/N: For anyone who is interested, I'm going to make the song RURUTIA's Ryuukou. There's a music box version and it's the cutest thing ever. But feel free to share your suggestions if you prefer something else.)

* * *

The next couple of days followed in a similar manner. Gary spent time at Leaf's flat, helping her while the swelling slowly calmed down. Leaf was able to do things by herself but she was happy to have Gary around, take an interest in her and their child's health.

Leaf flick through the selection of feel good films that was playing on the television. Every channel she flicked past seemed to show some sort of ceilidh dancing or party, making her jealous of the fun other people were probably having during the festive period "Don't shows like these make you want to dance?"

"There's always the new year eve parties."

"True but I can't exactly go without drinking." Leaf pointed out. "But I've got a wedding to go to later in the month so that'll be fun."

"Me too." Gary said, suspiciously eyeing up Leaf. "Back in Pallet Town."

Leaf looked back at Gary. "Me too... Who's wedding are you going to?"

"Sophie's wedding. I'm her sister's plus one."

"That's the same wedding. I'm a bridesmaid." Leaf pointed out. She had forgotten that Gary had dated Sophie's sister, Emmy, while they were still in high school, earning him loads of respect from the guys in their year group since she was "an older woman". "You're still in touch with Emmy?"

"Yeah, she calls every once in a while and we usually meet up when I'm back home."

As far as Leaf could remember, Emmy was a socialite. Her family was rich, pretty, athletic and intelligent- the pinnacle of families. Leaf hardly knew her, only her younger sister Sophie who was the same age as her. The sisters were very accomplished, doing their family proud and in that respect, either one of them on paper would make an excellent bachelorette for Gary, who came from a similar background.

Leaf instinctively put a hand round her stomach. There was no way she could ever compete with someone like that. Maybe one day Gary will settle down with her and their child will be out of the picture, only receiving a generic festive card every December. That was a scary thought but what was she expecting; Gary has a life of his own to get on with.

"You must be pretty close to her if she asked you to be her date." Leaf casually commented, hoping not to sound paranoid.

"We've been on and off for years so we're pretty open with each other." Gary shrugged, appearing to not notice Leaf's worry.

"You've not..."

"Told her about this?" Gary ventured, looking up at Leaf from his seated position on her couch. "No. She's not on the list of people that need to know first."

Leaf let out a sigh of relief then tried to act casual when she realised that Gary was watching her with a raised brow. She immediately tried to busy herself. "Shall I make us some lunch?"

"Depends what it is." Gary shouted in casually. "I'm a tough guy to please."

"Well, Mr Oak, today I shall be serving a..." Leaf passed as she looked at the ingredients in her fridge and cupboards. "Beans on toast or cheese sandwich." She concluded.

Gary turned to face her, a hand scratching the back of his head. To him, the options weren't great. "Or we could order food in."

Leaf looked at him blankly. Of course she'd want to have tastier food without the effort but was she willing to fork out the money? "Hmmm." She contemplated.

"My treat."

"Okay." Leaf perked up. She was starting to get used to Gary's presence, his offers and his treats. "Can we have sushi?"

"No, you're not allowed raw seafood." Gary replied without missing a beat while Leaf mentally cursed the fact that he was so involved with Daisy's pregnancy. "You can have noodles or rice though."

She pulled a face. "Fine." she said as she picked out what she wanted and left Gary to order.

"So what else am I not allowed to have then?" Leaf asked once Gary was off the phone.

"No alcohol, raw food, unpasteurised cheese-"

"Fun, good food, posh sandwiches." Leaf added to the list.

"I wasn't aware that you enjoyed any of those things."

Leaf pulled a face. "I'll have you know I'm a brilliant party host who likes to have the option of very small, unsatisfying but posh sandwiches!"

At the mention of it, Gary could recall many occasions where Leaf had managed to make a party interesting. Her cheerful personality was infectious around drunken students and her enthusiasm for party games and watching people make a fool out of themselves was something that did make him laugh on many occasions. "Point taken."

"I'll miss all the parties and nights out." Leaf added as an afterthought.

"You can always go out after the baby is born."

"Yes, because the night life in Pallet Town is what young people live for..."

Gary had forgotten about Leaf's plans to move away from the city after her university life and the lack of activities for young people in Pallet Town; there was nothing more than a post office, a couple of shops that sold the absolute necessities and a pub, making jobs scarce and the population small. Gary's family worked outside Pallet Town and in Vermillion City, about a half hour away, and that was where the nearest clubs, restaurants and supermarkets were.

"You never know, your circumstances might've change by then." Gary pointed out. He was sure there was a solution somewhere that would enable him to be near Leaf and their child and remain in Celadon City where he would hopefully be a full time employee at the Genetix Company.

"Maybe." Leaf said unconvincingly before changing the subject. "So when's our food getting here?"

Gary looked at Leaf and laughed. "I only ordered it like ten minutes ago."

Leaf flopped onto the couch next to Gary, her legs next to his and her upper body against the armrest on the opposite side from Gary. "But I'm hungrrryyyy!" She whined.

"Then you should've said something earlier." Gary replied and hoisted Leaf's lower legs and feet onto the cushion that was resting on his lap.

The pair rested as they were, flicking through the different channels and debating what to watch until their food arrived, when Leaf dashed into the kitchen to grab plates and cutlery and Gary to the door to pay for the food. Lunch was a relatively uncomfortable affair for Gary, with Leaf eyeing up his plate the whole time and watching him eat every piece of sushi and sashimi.

"That was torture." Leaf said once they had finished lunch.

"You're telling me…" Gary muttered. He had to cram most of his lunch down in order to prevent Leaf from stealing any which left him feeling full but unsatisfied.

"You could've shared." Leaf pouted.

"Not a chance." Gary shot back then returned to watching _Pretty Woman_ which Leaf insisted is a good film and that they watch it. That was the one and only time that Gary swore he would give in to her.

"Next time we are not ordering Japanese food." Leaf said before getting up, "I better clean this up." She said gathering up the plates into one pile and as she went to take them into the kitchen, the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock on the wall then proceeded to open the door. For a split second she panicked that Misty or Ash had decided to return early.

"Hi, can you sign for this package?" The delivery man said once Leaf had opened up the door.

"Yeah, sure." Leaf replied once she had checked the address and noticed that it was for her. She wasted no time tearing open the package once after she bid the man a good day.

"What is it?" Gary looked over to the other couch where Leaf had sat to open up the package. Turns out _Pretty Woman_ was not his type of film…

"Oh! I forgot I bought this." Leaf said as she pulled out a gorgeous gown that swept the floor at the back but would flash some leg at the front, transitioning from a pale blue at the bottom to a crisp white at the top. The dress was tight around the waist with thin straps that dipped far down to meet the dress on the wearer's mid-back. The dress was gorgeous and she knew that it was something that she would grow out of in the very near future.

"A dress?"

Leaf nodded. "I bought it a couple of weeks ago for New Year's Eve." She replied then folded it back up. "But it doesn't look like I'll have a chance to wear it."

Gary looked closely at Leaf, she looked genuinely upset at the thought of not being able to wear it out. And he could already picture her in it...

"Guess I'll have to return it." Leaf stood up with the packaging and the dress in tow.

"Maybe not." Gary said, catching Leaf attention in an instant.

In the space of a couple days, Leaf had gotten to know Gary well enough to know that he had thought up of a plan. And somehow, Leaf knew she wouldn't be disappointed.

* * *

And we are done for this chapter! It was getting rather long (literally just short of 5,000 which is a nightmare when I reread what I've written over so many time to see if I've majorly contradicted myself. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and tune in to future chapters because there are currently 3 exciting events lined up: Gary's NYE plan, their first antenatal appointment and of course, the wedding that they've mentioned! I've got loads of dramatic scenes planned ;)

Until next time,

silver-hedgehog

x x x


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys, I'm back with the first of three events to look forward to: the NYE party. So without further ado, I shall leave you to read on!

Chapter 7

New Year's Eve rolled around so quickly that Leaf had not even registered it until she received a text from Misty around noon saying that she was on her way back to Celadon and that she was looking forward to hitting the NYE parties later.

Leaf was relieved that she and Gary had already thought of a way round it: Leaf had told Misty that she was going to be working but instead she would be hiding with Gary. Gary knew that Drew was going to spend another night in his hometown of La Rousse, but what he had planned was a mystery. Leaf was also thankful that Gary was willing to make some alterations to his original plans to help her.

Six o'clock rolled around and Leaf set her plan in motion, pretending to take off for work but in actual fact, only travelling around ten minutes down the road to Gary's flat. She rang his doorbell and was greeted by Gary in seconds, whose hair was flat from being wet.

"Nice hair." Leaf commented.

"Thanks." Gary replied in an equally mocking tone as Leaf, "I was at the gym earlier, you know, because some of us like to look good."

"Too bad you aren't one of us who naturally look good." Leaf shot back without missing a beat.

"I'd like to meet someone from that group." Gary said before offering Leaf a drink.

Leaf requested a glass of water and took a seat on the couch. She emptied a couple of things out of her bag: her make up bag, her outfit for tonight and some snacks.

"Do you need to take a shower?" Gary offered.

Leaf shook her head. "I did that before I left. But I need a mirror."

Gary pointed her into the direction of his room. "You can use the one in there. The bathroom mirror is all steamed up."

Leaf nodded and grabbed her make up bag and a packet of biscuits with her. She struggled through doing her make-up, trying to simultaneously eat biscuits and delicately line her eyes with eye liner was impossible! Gary had to admit that it was amusing to watch when he slipped into the room to grab his hair products, and when he was out, he could hear her groans every time a biscuit snapped and fell out of her mouth.

After a relatively short amount of time, Leaf had managed to do her make-up and her hair into a long, loose plait with soft curls hanging out. "I'm going to change outfits now so don't come in!" Leaf said, popping her head out of Gary's room, just to be absolutely sure that he had heard her.

Gary was dressed up in black dress trousers, a crisp white shirt with the top few buttons open and an undone tie slung around his neck. He was sitting at the breakfast bar with a glass of red wine in one of his hands and he waved the other in a dismissive response to the brunette.

Leaf wasted no time in slipping out of her skirt and top and slipped her legs into her dress and slipping the thin straps over her shoulders and attempted to do the zip up, which extended from her lower to mid back, leaving the rest exposed. Leaf struggled to reach properly, her arms failing to contort to an angle which would allow her to fix her jammed zip.

In the living room, Gary could hear the sound of things falling off his desk. Concerned, he knocked at the door and called in, "What's going on in there."

There was a delay before Leaf replied. "Nothing." She shouted out before another clutter was heard followed by footsteps and the door opened. She popped her head out, almost head-butting Gary in the process. He was leaning against the wall next to the door and appeared unstartled by her sudden presence. "Actually, can you help me?"

Gary raised a brow at her. "Figured you'd need it."

Leaf stuck her tongue out at him. "My zip is stuck." She said then turned round.

"So you felt it was necessary to swipe everything off my desk?" Gary casually asked as he fixed the zip. He noticed that the dress was slightly loose on Leaf's slim figure, exposing slightly further down her back than the design intended, but he shook his head, removing all his thoughts.

"You try doing a zip that's in an inconvenient place." Leaf complained then smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She had to admit that the dress looked stunning on her. It really accentuated her tiny waist and the short front allowed her to show off her toned legs from yoga and walking everywhere because she didn't want to fork out for public transport. The heels she wore - around five inches in height - made her legs look even more slender. "What do you think?" She turned smoothly on the spot to face Gary, and gave him a twirl.

"Looking good." Gary complimented as he eyed her up and down, "You clean up better than I thought you would." Of course his compliment had to be back handed. "We better head soon."

Leaf nodded and picked up her little clutch, ready to leave.

* * *

The taxi dropped the brunets off at a hotel that Leaf had never even heard of on the far side of town. Quickly she gathered that there was some sort of exclusive event going on and when they entered the hotel, they were quickly directed to a ballroom after Gary had flashed some sort of ticket.

Inside the ballroom was not what Leaf had expected - it was much more than she imagined. There were large tables that could seat up to twelve people; a spacious dance floor where several people were stood mingling and a bar that stretched almost completely along one side of the room.

"Where exactly are we?" She looked at Gary who she had linked arms with to enter the venue.

"It's the Genetix New Year's Eve party. There'll be lots of dancing and my bosses will be here."

"Wow, guess you'll have to stay somewhat sensible then." Leaf said.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I was going to come tonight for that reason." He guided Leaf to their table and introduced her to some of his colleagues.

"Leaf, this is Brock, my supervisor."

"Nice to meet you." Leaf shook his hand and put on a polite smile.

"It's nice to finally meet Gary's girlfriend. I missed the honour last year. But you are as beautiful as everyone says." He replied, still shaking Leaf's hand.

Leaf tried to pull away from his overly amorous hand shake subtly. After all, she didn't want to ruin her baby daddy's chances at work.

"Actually, that was someone different." Gary replied. "She's out of the picture now."

Leaf looked at Gary and wondered who he'd taken last year.

"Ah, I apologise," Brock said shamelessly and finally released Leaf's hand. "You must do me the honour of a dance later."

"My pleasure." Leaf smiled. At least she had a dance to look forward to later. She turned to look at Gary and saw that he had pulled her seat out for her. "Thanks." She said and sat down.

Gary took the seat next to hers. "Unfortunately the trade-off for you getting to dance is that you have to talk to a lot of different people." Gary said before adding, "And be nice to them."

"I don't mind." Leaf said, "I don't know if you've noticed but I'm a people person."

Gary nodded. He had to agree with her. Now that he had started to talk to Leaf about things other than uni and beyond the general greetings, he had to admit, she was actually really cool and interesting to talk to. She could hold her own in a debate with him and she comes out with the craziest, yet insightful thoughts ever. "Point taken."

"Who'd you take last year?" Leaf asked, referring to his rumoured girlfriend he had last year. Leaf subconsciously reached out for the glass of wine on the table.

"Emmy." Gary answered and smoothly took the glass out of Leaf's hand in a swift movement. "None for you, remember?"

"Right." Leaf just about managed to say, too stunned by his answer to notice that the wine glass had been taken out of her hand.

Shortly after they had settled into their seats, and into conversation with the people at their table, food was being served. It was one of the many things that Leaf loved about going to ceilidhs (think old-fashioned jigs, like in _The Titanic_). The first course came and went with delight as Leaf happily consumed all that was on her plate, washed down with a glass of apple juice and a sip of wine (Gary decided that it was alright for her to have one small glass, given the occasion). The second course was a bit more problematic, with Leaf's recent aversion to bacon which was wrapped around the chicken. She sat and stared at her plate, then Gary and back several times before the boy took a hint. After the problem had been resolved, Leaf ate her meal happily. By desserts, Leaf had decided that it wasn't fair that Gary had more to his main course than she did, and guilt tripped him into giving her the brandy snap on his plate. Gary once again swore that that would be the last time he would give into her.

"That meal was amazing." Leaf said and thanked the waiter as he took the dessert plate away.

"I can tell you enjoyed that." He said and nodded his head in acknowledgement to some people across the room. "We better go greet some of my other colleagues."

"Sure." Leaf said and took Gary's arm once again. She followed the boy to the next table over where he introduced her to some people their age, who were either interns like Gary or newly hired staff members. Leaf enjoyed talking to them, and laughing too. They were smart people - her kind of people.

"We should probably go say hello to my other boss." Gary said and guided Leaf over to where she stood.

"Happy new year, Dr Abby." Gary greeted as he gave her a small hug and a polite peck on the cheek.

"Happy new year to you and your... Oh?" She said as she saw Leaf's face. "Leaf?"

"Abby?" Leaf said, "Long time no see!" She gave the woman a hug.

"It's been far too long!" The other woman, Abby, reciprocated. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm Gary's plus one." Leaf said, avoiding the words 'date', 'partner' or any alternative that implied they were in any way romantically involved, then started babbling away with the woman, leaving Gary to look on in shock. What was going on?

Gathering his thoughts, he cleared his throat, putting a halt to the reunion happening before his eyes. "Guess there's no need for an introduction then, other than she's my boss."

"I had no idea you worked in the Genetix Company." Leaf said to the woman.

"I had no idea that you knew Gary, let alone being in a relationship with him. You're a lucky boy, Gary."

"Actually-"

"Ah, there's my boss over there. I better go greet him a happy new year before I lose track of him again, but hopefully I'll see you back at kick boxing class soon." She said then excused herself.

"What just happened?" Gary asked the brunette, "Why do you know my boss? And so friendly with her?"

"I met her at a kick boxing class that I used to go to and since we're quite similar in height and build, we always ended up being partners." Leaf said. "She's such a lovely person, you're lucky to have her as a boss."

"You have no idea." Gary started, "She's a nightmare!" Working with the woman was a whole different story.

Leaf laughed, "Maybe I'll have to drop in a few nice words to her."

"Well she does think highly of you, for some reason..." Gary teased.

Leaf gave him a small push.

The pair continued to chat away with each other and other people too, enjoying the night's atmosphere. Gary had once again taken up the duty of watching Leaf's alcohol intake when other people insisted she have some champagne which was being distributed by the floating waiters with trays.

The ceilidh dancing was fun too. Leaf was surprised by how well and gentle Gary was when he danced with her. He held her hands with a warm, firm grip and guided her at a slower, more suitable pace than everyone else, probably because he sensed her lack of dancing ability on top of all other reasons. She had for some reason always assumed Gary to be one of the guys who'd swing a girl with more force than necessary, taking them off their feet. For some steps, she could feel Gary's breath down her neck, tickling her as he exhaled, but thankfully it was only for a second or so before they shifted.

Leaf could feel a stitch from the amount of laughing she and Gary did while trying to dance and not bump into the other guests, who were notably more drunk than both of them.

Gary eventually had to spare Leaf to dance with some of his colleagues, and she was more than happy to dance with other people. Gary too had taken the opportunity to get to know some other people in the dance floor, but eventually, the rotational dances, whereby the females switch partners, brought the pair back together, just in time for the countdown to the New Year.

There was a giant projection on the wall of a countdown to the New Year. Five minutes to go and all the dancing ceased. Two minutes to go and the crowd at the bar dispersed. One minute to go and everyone had their attention tamed to the screen. Ten seconds to go and everyone had decided who they were kissing when the clock reached zero. Three seconds to go and everyone was in position. When the clock struck zero, everyone chanted "Happy New Year" and kissed someone nearby.

Leaf and Gary looked each other in the eyes and in the spirit of the moment, Gary leaned in, placing a gentle peck, laced with the flavour of wine, on the edge of Leaf's lips. Leaf's eyes shut for a brief second, savouring the moment.

"Happy new year." He said exclusively to her, just loud enough for her to catch.

"Happy new year." Leaf said back equally as quietly in amongst the cheering, flustered by their moment.

At that moment, the DJ started to play some upbeat music for people to dance to. The dance floor flooded with drunk people, mostly couples, dancing away and the bar was cluttered with thirsty guests. A couple of waiters with trays walked around offering guests more flutes of champagne with a strawberry in the glass.

Leaf mentally cursed the fact that she couldn't drink and had used her one glass quota so soon. Gary on the other hand happily accepted a glass which seemed to go down rather quickly as they greeted some more people.

The party went on late and Leaf could feel her feet tire from her shoes. "It's been fun a night. Thanks for taking me." Leaf said sincerely to Gary.

"It has been a good night but we've not had a proper dance yet." He said then stood up and offered Leaf a hand.

Leaf grinned back at him, flashing all of her teeth in delight. She accepted his hand and followed him to the dance floor area which had slowly vacated over the hours since the bells. Leaf glanced around at the other people on the dance floor - exclusively couples - and noticed they were all slow dancing, arms around their partner's neck and their partners' hands around their waist with a gentle, rhythmic sway. She barely had time to register what to do before she felt Gary's hands snake around her waist and the proximity of the warmth that radiated off his body to hers.

Instinctively, Leaf followed and wrapped her arms around him and let the music take over. She looked up and saw Gary looking down at her, his hair casting a slight shadow over her eyes. Their foreheads touched and their noses would brush up against each other occasionally, just enough to send tingles down Leaf's body. She shut her eyes, savouring the intimacy of their dance.

The song seemed to last for seconds. Gary pulled away slowly and Leaf followed suite. She instantly missed the feeling of Gary's hands around her waist and scent of his cologne that she could smell when standing so close to him.

"Shall we head soon?" Gary asked, breaking Leaf's thought.

Leaf nodded. She was satisfied by the night's event and her feet were beyond tired.

Gary offered his arm out to Leaf yet again and she took it without hesitation. She was used to the treatment he gave her tonight and she had to admit, it was more than pleasant. In the hotel's lobby, they could see a queue of people waiting for a taxi, and several others sitting in the lounge who were also waiting but enjoying a drink in the process.

"Think we'll be in for a wait if we want to go." Leaf pointed out. "What do we do now?"

"Well we-"

"Leaf, Gary!"

The pair looked over to the direction of the voice, and saw Abby sitting in the lounge with her partner and a glass of whiskey in her hands. "Come join us." She indicated to the spare couch across from where she sat.

The pair agreed and made themselves comfortable. "Are you waiting for a taxi too?" Leaf asked.

Abby shook her head. "We've got a room here." She replied. "The company reserved most of them for staff so if you need one just talk to the reception."

"That's amazing, thanks." Leaf said.

"But we'll probably just go, since neither of us packed things for an overnight stay." Gary replied.

Leaf nodded for support but deep down, she was slightly disappointed at the thought of going home.

"Fair enough," Abby shrugged, "But it looks like you're in a wait. Why don't you stay for a drink first?"

"Sure." Gary replied on their behalf.

Gary and Leaf both ordered drinks, a pint for Gary and a cocktail for Leaf, which was slowly and subtly consumed by Gary. One drink turned into two, and two turned into several as they chatted away. Leaf tried to keep an eye on the queue for the taxi rank, silently praying that it was empty enough for them to join before Gary succumbed to the alcohol, like that night at their end of exams party. It was almost three in the morning before there were any available taxis for them.

"It's been so good to see you again." Leaf said, starting her farewell and standing up.

"You too." Abby said and stood up to hug Leaf.

Gary had drank so much to the point that he struggled to stand without aid.

Abby too was drunk. She pointed at Gary and giggled. "Good luck getting home with him." She said and slumped back onto her seat.

Leaf looked at Gary and swallowed hard. She had to accept that Abby was right. Getting the intoxicated boy home again was going to be a mammoth task.

* * *

Leaf had the bell boy to thank, for without his help, she would never have been able to carry Gary up to their room on the ninth floor despite the lift. The bellboy dropped Gary off on the bed before giving the pair some privacy.

Leaf made an effort to help Gary once again by removing his shoes, tie and belt to help him sleep comfortably. She poured him a glass of water too and left it on the bedside table. Gary was safely tucked under the duvet but then what?

Leaf looked at the couch, small and not long enough for her to stretch out. She tried to grab the throw which was still partially tucked in. Slowly, she tried to untuck it but to no avail, especially since Gary had a grip on it. Giving up, she sat on the edge of the bed for a moment to contemplate her next course of action and before she could stand back up, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her further onto the bed.

* * *

So it seems Leaf is in a bit of a pickle! Find out what will happen to her in the next instalment! Just pop a review and I'll love you and I'll try to update real soon with the next event (their first antenatal appointment which will be dramatic-ish in the for of some shit stirring by a certain charatcter) plus the build up to the third event (which will be very dramatic because of the shit stirrer)!

Talk to you soon! Mwah!

Silver-hedgehog

x x x


	8. Chapter 8

*Inserting pathetic lack of update excuse here*

Sorry for the delays! I went travelling but I'm back now with the latest installment and event number 2 of 3! Please forgive me and don't kill me! I promise to post the next update sooner!

Chapter 8

Knock knock.

Leaf blinked once, twice then her eyes slowly opened. She looked around, taking in the painted cream walls, television mounted on the wall and a posh ring-binder filled with information and remembered where she was and what had happened. Gary and his work party. Abby and her ability to cajole a guy into drinking excessive amounts and then eventually settling on getting a room - for sleep and nothing more.

Or rather, Leaf decided the latter.

At the thought of the brunet, he was nowhere to be seen. Leaf remembered being dragged onto the bed by him last night, his arm wrapped around her waist as he held her close and slept like a baby, his breath warming her from the back of her neck. Thankfully the blanket acted as a barrier to prevent anything from happening, not that anything bad could happen now, but when Leaf sat up, she notice that she was _under_ the blanket. Her eyes widened in realisation and if she did not feel awake before, she did now.

"You're awake." Gary said as he emerged from their bathroom. He looked tired but more awake than Leaf expected.

"Yeah. I was wondering where you went." Leaf said.

"How did we end up here?" Gary asked, referring to the room. He took a seat on the foot of the bed. He had his shirt unbuttoned halfway and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, creating a rugged look that Leaf certainly appreciated.

"You were too drunk for me to get you back to your place by myself so I had get a room and get a bellboy to help me bring you up here." Leaf said and registered Gary's blank look. "He carried you up here in his baggage car, like my luggage." Leaf added with a casual shrug.

Gary slapped a hand to his face at the thought of his limp, unconscious body being wheeled past people. What were his work colleagues going to say?!

Leaf got out of bed and reached towards her small clutch, pulled out her phone and checked for messages: several New Year wishes and additional messages from Misty asking how work was and when she'd be home. She replied to Misty, claiming that she would be home by noon when Misty was sure to be out before she would sneak back in, not without stopping by Gary's flat to grab her bags first.

"What do we do now?" Leaf asked.

"We get a taxi back to my flat first then maybe get breakfast." He shrugged and Leaf didn't protest. Breakfast (with Gary) sounded divine.

* * *

Catching a taxi seemed harder than normal since buses and trains were not in operation but still they had managed to get one and make it back to Gary's flat quickly and discreetly, although, most of the city appeared dead after the celebratory night before; even the taxi driver sported some serious dark circles and yellow demeanour.

Leaf took a quick shower then sat back and waited for Gary to go next. She had changed into her outfit from yesterday – her work attire – then looked in the mirror. It wasn't her ideal choice of outfits for a breakfast date but at least it was something.

"You're ready?" Gary asked as he entered the room with a towel wrapped round his waist, his torso damp and his hair dripping, rapidly forming a puddle at his feet.

"I guess so." Leaf said. "Just wish I had something comfier than a shirt." she said indicating towards her white shirt that was perfectly fitted to her body.

Gary opened a drawer and pulled out a plain white t-shirt then tossed it to Leaf who caught it. "Try that." He suggested.

Leaf held it up against herself. "Don't mind if I do." She decided that the t-shirt would look decent if she tucked the bottom into her skirt. "Now go out so I can change." She ushered him out before he could grab his clothes.

"I don't know if you've noticed but I'm still naked and the general public frowns upon nudity at breakfast cafes."

"I'll be fast." Leaf said then swiftly shut the door behind her.

He sighed in defeat and headed into the bathroom to style his hair while Leaf changed and cleared her belongings and herself out of his room, allowing him to dress in peace, though Gary made it clear that he had no objections to dressing in front of her. Or have her dress him.

They set off for breakfast at a small cafe tucked away in a side street, quiet and discreet, quaint and dainty. Leaf had decided it was best to take her bags with her and Gary insisted in carrying them for her. He placed her bag on the empty seat beside him and sat down next to Leaf at the table then ordered their food.

"So let's run by tomorrow's plan." Gary started.

"What's happening tomorrow?" Leaf asked.

"The hospital appointment?" Gary reminded Leaf. "Remember? And I thought I was the one who was meant to be hungover..."

"Right." Leaf shook her head. "It's at two tomorrow." Her memory suddenly returning.

"I'll meet you at one tomorrow." Gary said thinking about his schedule.

"Aren't we going to get lunch?" Leaf asked on impulse. She had become accustomed to spending excessive periods of time with him.

"I've got work in the morning." He clarified.

"Right." Leaf shook her head again, "Of course." She said feeling disappointed forgetting the fact that Gary had a life outside of her.

* * *

After lunch Gary and Leaf parted ways and Leaf spent the rest of the night in her room reliving the moment that Gary had kissed her the night before. She could not help but think about him ever since then and the fact that she could feel her cheeks heat up and her heart flutter didn't help either; and that kiss was only a New Year curtsy...

Misty had made a large dinner of chicken, which Leaf would have loved if it had not been for the bacon. Instead, Leaf feigned illness and retreated back to her room early, trying to get some rest before her big day tomorrow and to stop herself from feeling hungry and making things worse by being physically sick.

* * *

Her heart danced in her chest, frantically making leaps and twirls. She couldn't contain her excitement for today was the day of her scan, the first one that would allow her to see her baby clearly for the first time.

_Her baby._

That was a thought that she still had not gotten used to.

Gary sat next to Leaf on the seat next to the bed that Leaf was perched on and made herself comfy. Twice already she had wanted to lift her top to allow the physician to slap on the jelly but twice it had been a false alarm (she still had a list of questions to rattle through). And twice did Leaf almost cry out in anticipation. Could they not perform the ultrasound first?

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Gary listening tentatively, trying to answer the physician's questions as well as he could, based on what he had learnt about Leaf during their last few days spent together. Leaf was shocked by how much he had actually retained, such as her aversion to bacon and her cravings for really sour tangerines, really sour plums and mustard.

"Okay, now if you can-" the physician did not even need to finish her question for Leaf had already raised her top ready for the next part of the appointment, the main agenda, her awaited meeting with her child. Finally sensing the brunette's eagerness, the physician wasted no time in applying the cold gel on Leaf's lower abdomen and spreading it evenly round her stomach then placing the probe over the gel, starting from the centre.

Leaf could see nothing but a cluster of blurry shapes in various blue-black tones, nothing that she could identify as a child but the physician seemed content enough with the image on screen.

Gary too felt confused and rather underwhelmed by what he was seeing but managed to keep a pleasant but indecipherable facade.

The physician laid a finger on the screen, pointing to one blob that appeared more prominent. "That there," she started and looked back at Gary and Leaf to make sure they were paying attention, "that's the baby."

"She's so tiny." Leaf managed to say through her smile.

Gary just about managed to stop himself from nodding. "She?" He raised a brow as Leaf.

Leaf, sensing his look, tore her eyes away from the monitor. "Yes. I totally get the feeling that it's a girl."

Gary was about to disagree when he noticed the emotional tears that had gathered in the corner of Leaf's eyes. He found it so endearing that Leaf had already built up such a strong bond with their child that he did not have the heart to point out that their baby could potentially be a boy.

At that moment the physician interjected. "That's something to find out next time." She said then proceeded with giving the brunets some information. "But for now, we can measure the baby's length from the top of its head to its rump and determine how far along you are." She said as she jotted down some notes.

Gary and Leaf both shifted their attention and focussed and the physician's actions. They watched as the physician worked away, comparing her measurements to a chart and finally concluding, "You're 11 weeks along."

Leaf stared at the woman with her lips slightly gaping. She didn't know how to respond to the news (surely, she was further along than that? Leaf certainly thought she should be). Thankfully she didn't need to as there was a quick knock on the door before the person was summoned in.

"How can I help you, Doctor Proctor?"

At the mention of his name Leaf snapped out of her awe and looked over at him.

"I'm here to check on my patient." He said as he slipped into the room.

"Miss Green is your patient?" The physician asked, stunned that an Accident and Emergencies doctor had a regular patient.

"In some ways." He shrugged.

"It's okay," Leaf managed to say. "We know each other."

Gary looked at Leaf oddly.

"You're looking much better than last time." Proctor said to Leaf taking in her much brighter complexion and overall presence.

"I feel it too." Leaf smiled, beaming from meeting her unborn child. Leaf was about to start talking again when Gary cleared his throat. "Oh, I haven't introduced you. This is Doctor Proctor," Leaf said to Gary then turned to proctor. "And this is Gary my, uh, friend." Leaf introduced, unsure what would be an acceptable title for 'guy whose child I'm having but I'm not actually in a relationship with'.

"Nice to meet you." Gary shook Proctors hand with assertion which was reciprocated by Proctor.

Leaf on the other hand was too busy cleaning herself up to notice the hostility between the two alpha males.

* * *

Gary brought round a coffee for himself and a mug of hot milk for Leaf. The girl had not stopped smiling at the scan of their child since they left the hospital, her fingers delicately tracing his form.

"Thanks." She said and put the scan down to drink her hot milk, grasping the mug with both hands for warmth.

The pair had left the hospital only minutes ago and settled down for a small break in their day in the coffee house. Gary had tried not to let Proctor's presence stop him from concentrating on what the doctor had to say.

"Today was so exciting." Leaf said with a twinkle in her eye.

Gary nodded and swallowed his mouthful of coffee. "I'm glad I took the day off."

Leaf looked at Gary. "You took the whole day off for an afternoon appointment?"

"I had couple of errands to run in the morning." He said before changing the subject. "So how do you know that Doctor Proctor?"

Leaf noticed the deliberate subject change but let it slide for now. "He was the doctor that helped me that time I went to the hospital for my very first appointment and fainted." After that I bumped into him once when out on the street." Leaf recalled. "I'd say we're acquaintances more than friends."

"That's all?" Gary asked suprised. "He seemed rather friendly with you."

"It's just my infectious energy." Leaf grinned over the top of her mug and flashing her teeth at Gary.

Gary laughed. Although he would never admit it to her, there was no denying that she did indeed have an infectious personality and beautiful smile, one that had been visiting him in his dreams more and more often.

* * *

The start of the new term rolled around quickly, marking the start of the final semester, the last hurdle before the end of their undergraduate life. In the space of a week since the scan, Leaf had started easing herself back into her routine of work at the hotel and studying old notes to prepare herself for lectures. Gary on the other hand had been busy with his internship and all the studying that came with that. He had kept in contact with Leaf during the week and had managed to meet with her once or twice.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day of introductions to their final classes and for a select few, full of meetings with faculty heads about research projects. Unfortunately for Leaf, the latter applied to her, as much as she would've enjoyed a long lie in after an impromptu late shift at the hotel.

"I can't believe we're going to be starting out final semester." Melody said from her position behind the bar. "It's going to be my last semester with Gary."

Leaf shook her head. "What happened to you two getting back together?" She asked. Was Leaf missing something? Since when was Melody one to give up?

"We will eventually but maybe not as soon as I predicted." Melody pulled out a deck of Taro cards. "The cards told me."

"Since when did you do psychic readings?" Leaf asked, seriously wondering if she had fallen down a hole and lost a year of her life.

"Since always." Melody said. "Here, I'll do one for you. Maybe you'll have better luck with your love life than mine." She shoved the cards into Leaf's hands. "Shuffle them to your heart's content."

"Ok-ay?" Leaf picked up the deck and performed a whole host of different shuffle styles and eventually set the deck down. "Now what?"

Melody fanned the cards out in one smooth motion. "Pick the card that you're attracted to."

Playing along, Leaf hovered her hand over the cards and eventually settled on the one right on the edge. "The fool." Leaf read aloud.

"Ah!" Melody exclaimed. "This card suits you perfectly!"

"Thanks?" Leaf said, unsure as to its meaning.

"This card is the first card in the deck, labelled zero. It shows that you are genuinely content with your life right now." Melody looked up from the card to Leaf, who was happy with the card. "But, look at the fool's head and where he is. He's about to step off a cliff because he's not aware of his surroundings. But thankfully you have loyal sidekick," Melody pointed towards the small canine on the card, "who will steer you out of trouble."

"Okay." Leaf nodded.

"Are you relating it to your love life? Oh my god, you have someone in your love life, don't you?" Melody questioned.

"What?! No!" Leaf denied. "Why would you say that?"

"You've been unusually happy recently. The humming, the little smiles to yourself, the laughing when you read your messages... Who is he? Talk!"

Leaf thought back to the last couple of days? Had she really been behaving that differently? In such a noticeable way too?

"Well," Leaf teased. "He's really smart, knows how to make me happy, I'm never bored when I'm around him and I know he makes me a better person."

"You're killing me here!" Melody cried.

"You want to know who he is?" Leaf asked.

"Of course!"

Leafed looked around suspiciously then signalled for Melody to come closer. "His name is biology." Leaf burst out laughing at the look of disappointment on Melody's face.

"Just you wait, Leaf Green, I will find out." Melody fake threatened before sauntering off.

Leaf smiled as she watched Melody's back. She knew it wouldn't be long before she found out and she knew that there will definitely be tears and tantrums when the time comes.

* * *

The school was once again hustling and bustling with students waiting outside various rooms for their second semester class introductions. Leaf had been in since nine this morning and had been to her main talks. Currently, she sat outside professor Elm's office and awaited the remaining students to arrive.

She pulled out her diary and started to make a few notes about her timetable when a shadow cast over her small form on the ground.

"Gary!" She exclaimed as the boy took a seat next to her on the ground.

"Are you waiting to see professor Elm?" He asked her.

Leaf nodded. "I'm one of his research students."

"And I'm his other one." Gary said. "He's only taking two this year.

"Seriously?" Leaf asked with genuine shock. She knew professor Elm had always been a picky man when it came to picking his underlings but to actually be selected was an incredible opportunity.

"So it seems I'll have to see you all the time now." Gary teased.

"Lucky you." Leaf batted back.

Just then Gary's phone lit up along with a photo of a girl.

"Is that Emmy?" Leaf asked on impulse. Her tone had because less self-assured. "She gotten prettier."

"Yeah. We were just discussing the plan for the wedding this weekend." Gary replied nonchalantly. "I'll reply to her later."

For a moment Leaf thought Gary was getting married but no, she eventually remembered that it was her friend Sophie. Realised that she had left Gary hanging, she turned to him and said, "Won't she be mad if you leave her waiting?"

Gary slipped his phone into his pocket. "That's the beauty of not being in a relationship with her." Gary said slyly. "She can't get angry at me for something like that." He laughed, then asked Leaf, "When are you heading to pallet town for the wedding?"

"Tomorrow. We've got our final bridesmaids dress fitting then a day of girly pampering before the actual wedding day. I know for sure that my dress will need altering." Leaf replied, referring to her growing stomach. When Leaf looked at herself in the mornings, she never notices anything different but in recent times, her work shirt and a few dresses fitted snugly rather than comfortably.

Gary had noticed her slight change in shape too. To him, Leaf looked healthier with a slightly rounder face, making her dimples more obvious when she smiles. Her complexion glowed and made her stand out more too. Despite her working and studying long hours, she showed no signs of late nights or stress.

"What about you?" Leaf asked, "When are you going back to Pallet?"

"I'll be driving down the night before since I'll be working up until then." Gary replied.

Leaf sighed inwardly. She wasn't going to get to see Gary for the next few days but at least they would have time to talk in the lab. And she was happy that he was going to be at the wedding, where no one from university was going to be there should anything happen…

* * *

I'm going to finish the chapter here and next chapter is based solely in Pallet Town. I'm about halfway through writing it so just bare with me and I promise to update soon to compensate for my suckiness! But I shall leave you now and let you post a lovely wee review ;)

See you next time in OtYaF!

Lot's of love,

silver-hedgehog

x x x


	9. Chapter 9

Only the Young and Foolish

Hi hi! Welcome back to the next installment of OtYaF! Here in this chapter, we have set up something good for the up-coming chapters. Want to know what that something? Read on and find out! Don't be lazy... (coming from the person who take months to update so little XP )

Chapter 9

Leaf's arrival back at Pallet Town was hectic. Her parents had set aside all the time in the world and insisted she ate lunch with them before her dress fitting. The conversation flowed from her studies to work and intimately back to the subject of her and the baby's health and of course, Leaf couldn't resist showing the baby scans.

The dress fitting went smoothly, no major alterations were required for any of the bridesmaid dresses and Leaf had managed to avoid the flutes of champagne that were being passed out.

She had to admit that the dress did look rather flattering on her even without alterations, if only the back would zip up easily. Leaf realised that she must have gained some weight since her original fitting some months ago. Despite being a people person, Leaf still found it difficult to communicate with the maid of honour, Emmy, knowing her situation with Gary and had spent a great deal of time trying to subtly avoid interactions with her and keeping necessary, unavoidable contact to the bare minimum.

And Emmy appeared prettier in person than in pictures, even dressed down (which was still dressier than Leaf when she made an effort). She was tall, slim, well-mannered and smelt like autumn leaves in a bottle; her attitude on the other hand was that of a society woman born with a silver spoon in their mouth- she had high expectations which were expected to be adhered to. The shop assistants had dropped what they were doing the moment Emmy entered the shop and had even paid more attention to her needs rather than the bride's.

The day before the wedding was a calm affair thanks to the activities decided by Sophie and arranged by Emmy. The girls had taken over Sophie's dressing room and turned it into their impromptu facial and manicure room with the help of the specialists that Emmy had arranged. There was a no alcohol pact which the girls had agreed on, and Leaf was secretly really thankful for, and smooth jazz played in the background, creating a serene, pre-wedding atmosphere. Leaf found that the lack of Emmy's presence that day was relaxing too until she realised that it was likely she was away meeting Gary, who was due to arrive in Pallet Town that evening.

The morning of the wedding was a blur of makeup, white fabric, flowers and pre-marital panic attacks from the bride. Leaf spent a great deal of her time trying to calm the bride from her hysteria, leaving the hired make-up artists and hair stylists little time to transform her and the fact that she had to hide in the bathroom from the occasional bouts of nausea did not help things run smoothly either.

Emmy had the task of ensuring that the venue was ready for them. The wedding was taking place at an old castle, which in recent years has been renovated and converted into a hotel with a modern extension hidden in the rear. The castle was surrounded by the beauty of nature, with acres of greenery rolling into the distance and a lake nearby, creating a picturesque backdrop and making the venue popular with a sizeable price tag.

Most of the loitering guests had been ushered into the glass walled room which over looked the perfect lawn and into the distance of pure white snow-covered fields.

The music cued and the heavy wooden doors opened, making room for the bride, followed by her maid of honour Emmy, then Leaf and the remaining three bridesmaids.

Leaf tried to stay in step with Emmy, whilst her eyes wandered the room, in search of a certain guy and almost at once her eyes locked with his. He stood at the side, his brown eyes watched her attentively as she walked in her strapless, light peach dress that defined her waist and cascaded down to the floor.

The ceremony itself was a relatively small affair for a family of high stature, making the ceremony itself intimate. Leaf cried during the vows, more so than the other guests. Once over, a photographer had been arranged to take photos.

Emmy had taken the time out from her maid of honour and wedding planning duties to take photos with the bridal party, family and Gary before going off to ensure the next phase of her plan was executed with precision. In the meantime, the guests were enjoying glasses of wine, champagne and nibbles and mingled.

Leaf stood next to one of many tables of food, taking a break from entertaining.

"Miss me?"

Leaf turned round to face Gary, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Gary!" She exclaimed excitedly at his presence then moved in slightly to give him a hug but managed to stop herself midway, remembering where she was. "Shouldn't you be with Emmy?" She asked instead.

"She's busy." Gary said then took a sip of his wine. "Thankfully."

Leaf looked at him, surprised by his last comment.

"She's a pain when she goes into military mode." He explained, "Anyway, want to go outside for some air."

"Sure." Leaf said.

The pair slipped out into the open grassland which had a thin layer of snow covering the top, enough to mask the vivid green below. Leaf could see her breath in front of her every time she exhaled and she could feel her body get colder every time she inhaled.

Gary led Leaf off the path and onto the snowy grass, crunchy under their feet, and over to a bench in the middle of what normally would be a public garden.

"How've you been feeling?" Gary started.

"Not too bad. The past few days have been pretty hectic, but don't worry, I've been making sure I don't exert myself." Leaf replied. "I've also gotten really good at finding ways to turn down alcohol!"

Gary had made Leaf promise to take good care of herself while she was in Pallet Town. "Good." He said, amused by the fact that Leaf's attention was mostly focused on the fact that she could see her breath. "Are you cold?"

"A little bit." Leaf admitted although she could not decide whether it was wiser to go somewhere warmer or stay outside and create cold clouds that she could strut through like a heroine.

Gary stood up, offering Leaf his hand. "Follow me." His hand, notably warmer than Leaf's, guided the brunette further down the field to a backdoor which back in its time would have been the servants' point of entry. They were inside the far side of the castle, an old servants' quarter which had been renovated into a small lounge with a fireplace a bookshelf with board games for guests and some couches. Gary held up a small flask. "I prepared something for you."

Leaf cocked her head to one side and walked across the room to where he was, and upon opening the flask, she was hit by the warm, sweet aroma.

"Hot coco!" Leaf exclaimed excitedly. She reached out for her hot mug when they heard noises on the other side of the door and the door knob shook.

After a quick exchange of looks, Gary ushered Leaf behind the couch which had its back to the bay window but faced the small wood burning stove. Leaf crouched down just in time as the door opened to reveal Emmy.

"There you are." She approached Gary who was still standing next to the couch with the flask of hot chocolate on the table and Leaf's mug in hand. "What're you doing in here?"

Gary shrugged. "It's cold outside. Want some?" He offered casually.

Emmy scoffed at the hot chocolate. "It's a nice gesture but now isn't the time." She said and planted a kiss on his lips, the sound of the affection echoed through the room. "Come on." She picked up his hand and started to drag Gary out and back into the main hall.

"Right." Gary said. "I'll be right out. Just need to return a call."

"Okay but make it fast." She said then left.

Leaf stood up as soon as she heard the door shut. She looked at Gary, who returned her look with one of equal disappointment at the ruined quality time. He seemed to wear a look that said 'later' but she could not be sure. Leaf was pretty sure the nod did not mean as much as she hoped.

* * *

The wedding dinner had been consumed. Leaf had a seat at table number two with the rest of the bridesmaids and some of the groomsmen and she listened as the flirtatious banter was batted back on forth across the table, occasionally joining in, after all, Leaf loved a good laugh as much as the next person. Gary was stationed at table one with Emmy and the family of the newlyweds, with his seat facing table two.

From where Leaf sat, she could just make out where Gary was seated if she turned to face where one of the groomsmen, Phineas, sat. Throughout the meal, Leaf had managed to catch Gary's eye on many occasions and each time his eyes seemed to ask a different question, portray a different emotion and more daring desires. This was the secret that kept Leaf's spirits high through the past few weeks, when Leaf was busy doing long days in classes and late nights in the library.

In the background, Leaf could hear Emmy trying to coordinate the band and getting her sister and brother-in-law in place to commemorate the occasion with their first dance. As they stepped on the cleared dancefloor, a crowd gathered round, cameras at the ready to take photos of the cherished, intimate moment.

Leaf watched in awe and slight jealousy as Sophie and her new husband danced slowly, their bodies close, sharing warmth and desire and most importantly, mutual love. Her head tipped to the side as she watched on, dreaming of what she could have had, realising that the sight before her was unlikely to happen to her. She instinctively wrapped her hands around herself and leaned onto the pillar, her eyes unknowingly tearing up at the thought.

As their dance reached the end, a round of applause broke out before more couples, all besotted with one another, stepped onto the dance floor, and all of them too swayed rhythmically to the gentle melody that soothed the atmosphere. Leaf smiled at the happiness that radiated in the air and turned to return to her seat with the intention of grabbing her bag and heading out for a while. She picked up her bag as intended and as she turned round, she managed to walk right into something solid – a crisp white shirt, a pair of concerned brown eyes.

"Hey, don't tell me you're lea-" Gary stopped mid questioned as he noticed the tears that had pooled in the corner of her delicate eyes. Instead he changed his tact and asked her: "Are you okay?" His arms gripped her shoulders with just enough force to show sincere concern, but not enough to hold her in place of hurt her.

Leaf nodded. "I'm fine, it's just so touching to be able to witness the first dance. I never thought I'd be one of those people who cried at weddings." Leaf gave a small laugh as she tried to dry the corner of her eyes with her bare fingers. "What on Earth is happening to me?" She laughed.

Gary thought about blaming her emotional state on the hormones that came with the baby but decided against that. Last time he said that Leaf cried and refused to acknowledge that he was right (even though deep down, they both knew he was and Leaf only cried because she didn't want admit that Gary was right).

"Try this." Gary handed over a soft handkerchief from his breast pocket. He watched Leaf as she dabbed gently, careful not to smudge her makeup.

"Thanks." Leaf said as she tried not to feel self-conscious about the fact that Gary was watching her every move. "Did you need me for something?" Leaf asked him once she had sorted herself out.

"Not for anything in particular, just thought I'd see how you were. Clearly I was right to stop by." Gary teased.

Leaf scrunched her nose at him to show her distaste towards his reference to her over-emotional state. "I was actually thinking of heading out for some a-"

"Why aren't you two dancing?!" Leaf was interrupted by Sophie, who had appeared out of nowhere. After her dance, she went around talking to people who stood alone and encouraged people who stood too closely to someone else to dance.

"Because…" Leaf was at a loss for words. She looked over at Gary for help, but she happened to notice that said boy was wearing a strange suppressed smile-laugh expression.

"Actually, I was just about to ask her to." Gary said and held out a hand for her. "May I?" He looked directly into her eyes. His piercing gaze was doing strange, jittery things to Leaf's heart.

"I guess I could spare you a dance." Leaf said with a mock reluctance to her tone and placed her small, bony hand in his larger, protective hand.

Gary laughed and led her to the dancefloor where he laid his free hand on the small of her back and pulled her close, her body close to his but not quite touching. She could feel his fingers playing with the chiffon fabric of her dress and his thumb caress the back of her hand, drawing gentle circles.

_When you hold me in the street and you kiss me on the dance floor__  
__I wish that it could be like that__  
__Why can't it be like that__  
__'Cause I'm yours_

Leaf could not deny how right it felt, being by Gary like that. It was clear he knew what he was doing, swaying her with him in a rhythmical fashion, with ease and grace. The smile across his face said all she wanted to hear.

_We keep behind closed doors__  
__Every time I see you, I die a little more__  
__Stolen moments that we steal as the curtain falls__  
__It'll never be enough_

Leaf was enjoying the moment more than she cared to admit. But her smile gave everything away…

_It's obvious you're meant for me__  
__Every piece of you, it just fits perfectly__  
__Every second, every thought, I'm in so deep__  
__But I'll never show it on my face__  
__But we know this, we got a love that is homeless_

She could feel Gary's gaze intensifying, burning more and more into her empty eyes. His hands, gently pulled her in closer and closer until the gap between their bodies vanished, and his forehead leaned in to touch hers…

_Why can't you hold me in the street?__  
__Why can't I kiss you on the dance floor?__  
__I wish that it could be like that__  
__Why can't we be like that?__  
__'Cause I'm-_

When all of a sudden everything went black and the music cut off.

Yet Gary's hands did not move nor slacken from their position. If anything Leaf thought she felt them pull her in closer and a soft graze of his nose against hers before a pair of lips gently soften into a warm kiss on her lips. Leaf was sure she has shut her eyes as she leaned into his kiss but before she knew it, a sudden click resonated throughout the room followed by the flicker of lights and the drawback of Gary.

By the time the lights were back on, Gary had left already, leaving behind a cold spot where his hand rested only moments ago.

* * *

Fin.

DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN! Where did Gary go? Find out next time! And please don't hate me because I'm slow at updating. I swear, I am still working on things!


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the support last chapter guys, here's the next instalment! Quick update, right? Didn't expect it from me, right? Just enjoy it! XP

Chapter 10

Three days.

Three day was the amount of time since Leaf had returned to Cerulean City, the amount of time since the day of the wedding and the amount of time since she last had proper contact with Gary.

It was Tuesday now and Leaf could not concentrate on her work. The kiss she shared with Gary confused her. Was she wrong in thinking that Gary felt something for her too? Clearly it was. And by letting her guard down, Leaf had damaged her pride and more importantly her heart.

Leaf locked down at her notes, or rather, the lack of notes that she had taken during the lecture that had finished minutes ago. Most of the students had left already except for a few eager students who remained to talk to the lecturer. Leaf shut her notepad over and packed up her belongings, then proceeded over to the library where she would inevitably not see Gary again (it would appear that the boy was avoiding the library too).

Except today.

Gary sat at a desk by the window, his forehead scrunched up as he concentrated on whatever he was doing on the computer.

Leaf's heart skipped a beat when she saw him but it did not look like he had noticed her entrance. She dropped her bag onto her favourite desk and stared to take out some books, all the while wondering if she should go over and talk to him.

Taking a deep breath she turned round ready to march over but stopped in her tracks when she noticed another girl talking to him. She noticed the frown was no longer present, instead it was replaced with a smile that made Leaf's heart sink.

That was why Gary had not see her the past few days, the reason why he only text her once in response to her message.

* * *

"I'm home." Leaf called as she shut the door behind her. It was almost eight and she had missed dinner time due to time spent trying to teach herself the lecture that she had not paid attention to.

"You're late tonight." Misty said, looking up from her laptop. She had sprawled out on the couch and the coffee table had been moved closer to her couch so that she could easily reach her books and her glass of wine (or Tuesday teaser as they referred to it as). "I put dinner in the fridge. Just heat it up if you want some."

"Thanks," Leaf said, suddenly feeling the urge to burst into tears. "But I'm not hungry." she added then slumped back to her room.

Once inside she laid down and took in a few deep breaths. Trying to calm herself down. She had not cried since she broke the news to her parents but even then, most of the tears on that occasion had actually been tears of joy, not of anxiety, hurt and stress.

She picked up her phone, feeling the urge to call Gary but she knew better. He had not returned her message from yesterday and judging from the girl he was with today, it was likely he was out on a date. With that girl. That brunette with the loose curls. Leaf didn't catch her front but whoever she was, she looked pretty from the back.

Dumping everything on her bed onto the floor I'm a single sweep, Leaf crawled under her covers and did nothing for the rest of the night.

* * *

Leaf's concentration level was at an all-time low from her restless sleep last night and the fact that she has to work in professor Elm's lab, meaning she will come face to face with Gary at last, something she looked forward to only a few days ago.

Instead of going to classes or the library, Leaf chose to spend the day easing her mind from her stresses. She took a leisurely stroll along the waters, picking up a long branch and dragged it along the river's edge. She loved the way the ripples faded and settled back into stagnant water, creating a clean surface for her to reflect upon.

She stared deep into her reflected eyes. Her brown eyes looked distant and unfamiliar even to her and her face looked gaunt, not full and healthy like it did mere days ago. "What am I going to do?" she asked her reflection.

"About what?" a reflection appeared behind her. The owner of the reflected face managed to catch Leaf's widened eyes just before she fell forward from the fright.

The reflection's owner tried to grab Leaf's arm, saving her from the fall, only to be dragged in with her.

* * *

"I am so sorry." Leaf apologised again once he emerged from the bathroom.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." he said with a laugh and handed Leaf the towel. "Thanks for letting me use your bathroom."

Leaf smiled at him. "You're welcome. Plus it was my fault anyway." she said then squinted her eyes at him as she tried to recall his name. In the rush of falling and trying to dry off before she caught the cold in the winter, they had yet to identify each other.

"It's Phineas, right?" Leaf asked. "We met at the wedding?"

"Good memory, Leaf." he complimented and flashed her a smile. "Glad you remember me."

"Of course I do – I rarely forget people's names." she patted her temple to emphasise her brains. "What are you doing in Cerulean city?"

"I'm currently stationed out here for a project. I work for a PR company and I've been chosen to relocate here for the duration of the project which should span a few weeks."

"Wow, that sounds cool," Leaf said in genuine surprise. With all the people around the table last time, she did not manage to talk to Phineas properly and it had also occurred to her that she didn't realise that Phineas was slightly older than her. "Where are you staying just now?" she asked and headed into her kitchen and pulled out two mugs. "Would you like a tea?"

"Sure." he replied and with that, Leaf and Phineas spent the afternoon talking as if they were old friends.

* * *

Time flew when one was stress-free and enjoying themselves. Leaf found that the day flew by and before she knew it, it was time for her first lab session with Professor Elm and Gary. She had enjoyed talking to Phinneas so much so that she forgot all about her impending encounter with the brunet.

However, running late possibly did not help her nerves. Professor Elm was known to be professional and punctual and with her flushed cheeks, breathlessness and delayed appearance in class three minutes after the hour, Leaf was neither professional nor punctual.

Gary was already in the lab and prepared. He had his book out and by the looks of it, Professor Elm had already started discussing his lab rules with Gary.

"Sorry I'm late." Leaf said as she opened the door and barged into the room, almost falling over in the process.

Professor Elm frowned but forgave the brunette. "Just this once I'll let you in but next time... You won't be admitted to my class."

Leaf nodded apologetically then went over to the opposite end of the bench from Gary and took out a notepad as the professor continued to talk. She pressed the back of her hand to her cheeks, trying to cool herself down but with no avail. She was still warm from running up three flights of stairs.

In fact, now that she tried to listen and write, she felt that more lines had appeared on her page, and that the professor's mouth wasn't matching the words that left them... And the professor seemed to have gained a twin.

Tilting her head to one side, Leaf tried to pay closer attention as the professor talked directly at her.

Gary placed the back of his hand to her forehead. "She has a fever." he said to the professor.

Leaf shook her head. "It's nothing." she said.

"Are you sure, Leaf?" the professor asked but the brunette just nodded.

"Maybe you should go home." Gary said without looking at her.

"I'll be fine." Leaf insisted and urged the professor to continue- which he did.

He continued to talk for another thirty minutes, outlining his intention, and what he expects in return. Leaf and Gary were both perched on the high stools as they jotted down information and deadlines at lightning speed, trying to keep up with the professor's introduction.

Leaf had periodically subtly put a hand to her face to test her temperature but it didn't seem to get any better. Maybe Gary was right. Maybe she should be went home. She could feel the heat spread across her body.

"Okay, now, any questions before we start our preparations for the experiments?"

"Can we take a quick break?" Gary asked, darting a quick look at Leaf, whose breathing he noted had sped up.

"You can have a ten minute break." professor Elm said, picking up on Gary's point.

"Thanks." Leaf accepted then tried to stand – only to black out onto the floor.

* * *

Leaf awoke later in tucked into her bed in her room with a cool cloth over her forehead. Her eyes slowly opened at first, adjusting to the brightness that burned through her windows before she realised that she wasn't alone.

Sharp jade Green eyes looked directly down at her with a crease of concern between them. "You're awake!"

Leaf nodded. "How did I get here, Misty?" she asked as she tried to sit up.

Misty propped up the pillow behind her. "I was just about to go for a swim when Gary called and said you fainted in class. So naturally I abandoned my swim to come home to make sure you're okay."

"I was home? How did I get home?" Leaf asked though she had a hunch about how.

Misty shrugged. "Gary must've carried you since you were asleep in your bed when I got here and he was still here."

"Did he say anything?"

"He said he gave you two pills and tucked you in and then he left shortly afterwards." Misty explained, "but since you're awake now, I'll make us some dinner and let Ash know you're fine."

"Thanks Misty." Leaf said as Misty left the room, leaving her to contemplate how Gary might have got her home.

Leaf peeked inside her bag which was set neatly on her desk. Her books were all tucked in and just sneaking out from the top of her lab book was a slip of paper that to many anyone appear ordinary but to Leaf, was totally out of place. She gently pulled said sheet of paper out and read the note:

_Rest up and don't exert yourself.__  
__-Gary_

Leaf frowned at the curt manner of his note but tucked it neatly away in her drawer. After so many days, this was as close to a conversation that she's had with him. Leaf let out a sigh of frustration and collapsed back onto her bed.

* * *

The next morning Leaf felt better for her fever had gone down and she no longer felt as tired though she did look notably paler and lifeless compared to her normal chipper self.

First thing in the morning Leaf decided to head back to Professor Elm's lab to apologise to the man, mostly for passing out and disrupting class, and also to catch-up on missed work. She hated nothing more than to be behind in her studies.

She entered the lab and found Gary inside talking to Professor Elm. Both of their heads whipped round and watched her as she approached them.

Gary stood leaning casually against a worktop with his bag slung over one shoulder in a casual manner while he held his black jacket.

"Good morning." she greeted. "Sorry about yesterday, professor."

"It's okay but are you sure you're better?"

Leaf nodded. "I'm sure. I did nothing but sleep and rest last night and since I feel better, I thought it be best if I use my spare morning to catch up on yesterday's work before my classes this afternoon."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gary looking at her with an odd _expression on his face. Was he concerned? Was he trying to hide it?

"Okay, if you insist." Professor Elm said then turned back to Gary, "Gary, I'll read over your proposal and get back to you later."

Gary nodded. "That's okay but if you don't mind, I'd like to stay and do some work here."

Professor Elm looked at him oddly before agreeing. He was just relieved to have selected two hard working students.

"Shouldn't you be resting more?" Gary asked Leaf once he heard the professor retreat into his office next door.

"No need. I feel better." Leaf replied as she continued working, not taking her eyes of the flasks in front of her.

Gary looked at Leaf. He could hear the cold through her voice. It was obvious that she had a blocked nose.

"I don't think it's safe for you to be out and about when you're obviously ill."

"Seriously, I'm fine." Leaf replied, her tone getting defensive. She gripped the pipette tighter.

"Go home, Leaf." Gary said, "It's not good for you to exert yourself."

Leaf slammed the pipette down on the counter. "It's also not good for me to be upset yet I don't see you make me feel any way other than that." she shot him a harsh glare then returned to her work.

Gary let out a frustrated groan and headed towards the door. "Just don't overdo it." he said over his shoulder then left.

* * *

Despite Gary's attitude playing on her mind all day, Leaf managed to get through all her work and make it to her waitressing job at the hotel in good time to start her dinner shift. At the thought of the boy again she could feel her body tense. He did not deserve to care for her no when he ignored her for so long. Leaf Green was not someone who could be used to kill time whenever he has a spare moment.

She put on a strong front and entered the bar to start her work, determined not to think of Gary or his recent poor treatment towards Leaf after he kissed her... Actually, the more Leaf thought about it maybe that was all Gary was after. He'd spent those past few weeks getting close to Leaf only to kiss her and find that... He doesn't have feelings for her. And now he wants nothing to do with her.

Or maybe he did have feelings for Leaf but then he met someone else? No, that seemed unlikely considering he kissed her. Leaf was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to notice Melody approach her.

"Lea~f." she sang and waved a hand in front of the brunette's face.

"What?" Leaf said.

"You were in a daze." Melody said. "I asked you how you were."

"Oh, I'm fine, how about you?"

"Well, Leaf, I'm glad you asked." Melody's eyes seemed to twinkle with delight. "I think my reconciliation date with Gary is fast approaching. He's not been on any dates with anyone recently. It's only a matter of time now before the stars align!"

"Is that so?" Leaf asked. She doubt Melody was right but she went along with it. At least then Melody would never need to know that Leaf was the mystery brunette who had left her hoodie at Gary's.

Melody nodded enthusiastically. "I can sense it. It's coming so soon, I really need to get back into shape!"

"Are you kidding me?" Leaf said, "You look great as it is!"

"I know. I'm just messing with you but you, have you been slacking off recently?" Melody asked.

Normally Leaf would be offended at the rude insinuation but instead, she was hit by a wave of paranoia. Was it really noticeable?

Before Leaf had time to reply, a group of people in suits approached the bar and she and she set off to work, taking drinks orders and making them as she worked her way through the crowd until she hit a familiar face.

"Leaf? I didn't know you work here."

She looked up from what she was doing and met the eyes of Phineas. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Just a post workday drink and meal with my boss and clients." he replied and shrugged. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah, I work here four days a week to help fund myself through uni." Leaf replied as she poured a drink for him.

"That's cool." he said, "Listen, I have to go keep our clients entertained just now but we should go get a drink or something when you finish." he said then left to re-join his group.

Leaf blinked as she watched his retreating form and a sly smile grew on Melody's face, she couldn't wait to get the gossip from Leaf.

* * *

As promised, Phineas stuck around until Leaf's shift ended. They left the hotel, where they both agreed that the drinks were over-priced and went to a smaller bar down the road. She had recommended this place due to its quiet backdrop and moderately priced drinks, making it a good place to sit and talk without being surrounded by drunkards. They occupied a booth towards the back of the bar and ordered drinks - a lemonade for Leaf and a coke for Phineas.

"Your work was pretty packed." Phineas commented, "Is it always like that?" he sat with one hand round his drink for ease of sipping.

Leaf nodded. "It would appear that the answer to life's stresses is over-priced alcohol." she had both hands round her glass, wiping away at some of the condensation on the side.

Phineas laughed. "And looking at beautiful girls."

"And good looking guys." Leaf pointed out since a lot of their clientele were females too, single and cougars alike.

"That's true. Have any of the customers ever hit on you?" Phineas asked.

Leaf thought for a moment then proceeded to tell Phineas about the time a guy that kept being a pain to get her attention. "So after the third time he tried to spill his drink just to get me over, I gave up and asked someone else to go clean it instead."

"Was he really drunk?"

"Nope, just an idiot." Leaf replied without missing a beat.

"He sure is." replied Phineas. "I always believe that if a guy wants to show interest in a girl..."

Leaf's mind immediately jumped back to a vision of Gary, which she tried to push aside for a moment.

"The guy should take more of an initiative..."

Again Leaf's thoughts races back to Gary and is decisiveness, how he always just announced their upcoming plans as if it was obvious that they'd both be free that day and he was certain that she'd enjoy it. And how he so naturally leaned in and-"

She cut her own thought short when she felt a warm pair of hands wrap around her own, cold hands. "He should look the girl in the eyes and ask her out before someone else does and steals her right before you get the chance to find out if she's the love of your life."

Leaf looked deeply into his eyes and contemplated his words. Phineas was right. That's exactly what a guy should do and that's exactly what Gary has done to many girls on many different occasions. She may not have ended up staring into his eyes through his usual way and maybe that was a good thing. It helped her see him differently... Helped her realise that he did have feelings for her. That look, that smile, those soft eyes that he seemed to reserve only for her and the way that hers only looked at him.

Leaf suddenly stood up, scraping her thighs against the edge of the table as she clambered out of the booth and tore her hands out or Phineas'.

She had barely managed to squeeze out a, "I've got to go" before she darted out the door and onto the icy road where her feet tried hard to maintain her balance as she half walked, half ran along the main road until she hit familiar territory. She had a serious expression on her face and ignored the mist that she created everything she breathed her rapid breaths. She stopped outside a familiar looking door and hesitated for only a second and no longer before she pushed the door open and into a close. She hurried up the steps and to the door that started it all, then knocked.

* * *

I've left it at an awkward bit just so that it was easier for me to edit and post etc. I'm halfway through writing the next chapter so review, give me motivation and I'll finish and post the next chapter reeaaallllyyyy soon!

Love you

*silver-hedgehog


	11. Chapter 11

Yes, it's true, it's another new chapter after only 4 days since chapter 10 went live! If you can't tell, I'm super inspired (and super deep into my work avoidance mode)! Don't say I don't love you guys! ;*

Chapter 11

There was a brief wait between the knock itself and the door opening. To Leaf's surprise it was Gary who opened the door (she was just glad that he did open the door) but she was not prepared for him to be topless and in a pair of casual bottoms only.

He looked at her, confused by her presence at his doorstep at almost eleven o'clock on a weekday. He took in Leaf's appearance: black skirt, white shirt, hair tucked behind her ear and quick breathing.

"Leaf, what are you doing here?" He had a crease between his brows as he watched.

Leaf hesitated with her words for a second, a quick second that didn't go unnoticed before she took a step forward and looked at him from beneath her lashes.

"I don't know what's been going through your mind these last few days but all I know is I don't like that you've suddenly stopped talking to me. I don't like that you seem to avoid me and I don't like the way you kissed me and left me hanging. I've slowly learnt to drop my guard around you after spending the last few weeks getting to know you, I think you're a person who I can trust and depend on and show my vulnerability to. When you kissed me the other night I know you felt something there yet you avoid now as if we're just acquaintances. I don't know what's going through your head but I thought you'd be different... But I guess I was wrong." she said. "I wish I wasn't." she added quieter.

Leaf took a deep breath after her speech, the thoughts and feelings that she spent clarifying in her head during her brisk walk over. There was one more thing that she had debated against saying but at least she said everything else. And the implication of her being in love with him was almost there. Finally, she felt ready to take her eyes off his suddenly softened expression and walk away.

Like when she broke the pregnancy to him, she never thought about what she expected his reaction to be, or what her next steps would be. At a loss for words, she took a step back, prepared to walk away.

When the meaning of Leaf's worlds finally made sense to him, Gary took action. He reached his arm forward, firstly to stop her in her tracks and then to pull her back in, back to him and in one swift move, he planted his lips over hers as his arms wrapped around her waist and lower back, holding her securely to his body. His one action reassured her and he knew it. Gary could feel Leaf's body relax in his from the rigid frame that he had pulled her in. He could feel her body mould into his as if she was meant to be there and he wondered if she was.

When they broke apart, Gary kept Leaf in his arms. She rested her head on his chest where she barely reached the top of his shoulder. Her hair tickled his bare skin but he liked the feeling, the little tingles that her hair evoked on his skin, like little feathers brushing against him, sensual and light hearted.

Suddenly aware of voices coming into the close, Gary led Leaf into his flat and shut the door behind him.

The flat was empty, clearly Drew was out and Gary was having a quiet night in. On the table laid his keys and wallet and an empty glass and the TV was on with the news playing in the background. On the couch was Gary's laptop.

Leaf waited for Gary to turn round. She waited for him to react verbally or otherwise since she was at a loss of what to do next. She had never confessed to her feelings to a guy before, let alone a guy whose child she was carrying.

And suddenly her eyes widened in realisation. That was why Gary suddenly ceased contact with her.

Gary, sussing out what was going through her head, nodded in conformation. "It's risky, Leaf. What if things don't work out?"

But before Leaf could respond, the lock on the door sounded with the sound of keys being maneuvered into the keyhole.

In a hurry, Gary signalled for Leaf to hide in his room while he leapt back onto the couch as if he'd been there the whole time, doing his work whilst watching the news. Seconds later Drew stumbled in with a girl.

Gary shouted his greeting casually as if he was not hiding a girl of his own in his room.

"Hey May," Gary greeted the brunette with a sly grin, a look of knowing what they were going to get up to.

May looked alarmed for a second then blushed while Drew gave Gary 'the look', to which Gary shot back a response.

"Don't mind me, I was just heading to bed." he picked up his few belongings and headed towards his room door. "Try not to be too loud." he winked then left them alone and turned his attention to Leaf.

The exchange she overheard made her wonder how thin the walls were and if Drew ever said anything like that to Gary the night they did it. Or if Drew was even aware that they had at all.

Snapping her out of her thoughts, Gary sat on the foot of the bed alongside Leaf and looked at her earnestly and sighed.

"Leaf," he sounded as if he was fighting an internal battle about what to say. "I'll be honest with you. I liked how things are between us and I don't know if us being together suddenly is such a good idea. What if things don't work out? Then where do we go from there? I don't want to force things only to have it make things awkward between us."

Leaf nodded. She knew what he meant. Since the realisation of why he was behaving strangely dawned on her, she'd been running through the consequences in her head.

"I think for me, that doesn't matter because after uni I'll move back home and have the baby there where mum and dad can help me." Leaf instantly regretted saying her plain out loud, especially after seeing Gary's face fall.

"But then I'd hardly get to see the baby." Gary pointed out.

"I know, I didn't think that through." Leaf admitted and gave him an apologetic look.

"But since we both know where we stand for sure, I have a proposition."

"Go on." Leaf urged.

"My lease on the flat finishes at the end of May. I propose that we use the time between now and then to see how we get on and if things go well, we should move in together."

Leaf looked at him shocked. The idea of moving in with a guy, and Gary no less, was daunting but it also gave Leaf a rush. Her thoughts drifted further into what life could be like living with Gary then she blushed.

Gary grinned. "I do have a habit of walking about topless." he said, indicating to his naked torso.

"That's not what I was thinking." Leaf slapped his chest with the back of her hand. That was totally what she was thinking of. And more.

"Sure it wasn't." Gary laughed.

"I should probably head home." Leaf looked at the clock sitting on Gary's bedside table. "We've got early classes tomorrow."

"If you don't mind being seen by May and Drew coming out of my room after so long then be my guest." Gary shrugged casually. "They're watching a movie in the living room so you have at least another hour to wait otherwise."

Leaf pouted. She had been up and out all day and she was still recovering from the cold. She could feel the fatigue slow her down and her eye lids falling over her brown eyes.

"If you're tired you can sleep on my bed." Gary indicated. "I've got a bit more work to do before I sleep."

But at that moment Leaf's stomach growled.

Gary frowned at the brunette. "Christ, Leaf. Didn't you eat any dinner?"

"I picked at some food during work because I had to go-" Leaf stopped herself from mentioning Phineas. It somehow did not seem right to mention another guy but that reminded her of the brunette the other day. "Not the point. Point is, I've been busy. I've been doing a lot of extra work at the library." Leaf started, trying to slowly make it seem relevant, acceptable and totally non-jealous to mention the mystery brunette.

"Busy is one thing buy your health is another. I'm kind of hungry too so let's order a pizza." Gary suggested as he pulled out his phone.

Leaf just looked at Gary and his ability to just lead like that. She let the thought go for now but it was definitely something she was going to try to pry into at some point.

After Gary had ordered the food (a large pizza with pepperoni, onions and peppers and sausage, no bacon), he continued to work, sitting back on his bed with Leaf next to him. She had his TV remote in hand and was flicking through the channels as he worked on his laptop.

"I love this show." Leaf said and put the remote down.

Gary looked up from his screen and scoffed. "It's always the nosey ones that watch 'First Dates' and actually like it." (A/N: 'First Dates' is a show in the UK about couples who are going on a blind date in a specific restaurant in London. I'm sure you'll have a similar show where you're from but possibly with a different title. We're not very creative with titles in the UK…)

"It's just interesting. You see and hear about a lot of disastrous dates." Leaf giggled.

"What's your worst date?"

"Mine?" Leaf thought for a moment. "I once went out with a guy who kept trying to throw his wine on me in an attempt to make my white dress go see through. I managed to avoid the first few by chance before I caught onto him. That was actually a pretty horrendous date."

"Did you get you?" Gary asked.

Leaf could hear the suppressed amusement in his voice. "Just my feet." she answered. "What was yours?"

"A few times girls have tried to do the exact same thing to my shirts." Gary replied. "Only they weren't dates and I didn't know those people."

"You know that doesn't count, right?" Leaf looked at him deadpan.

"In which case I've never been on a bad date."

"Lucky you. Most of my dates have actually been pretty dire. Like the time I went out with this guy and he took me to a karaoke bar and it turned out he had a girlfriend and she was also there." Leaf said. "On a date with another guy." Leaf finished dramatically.

"What happened then? I take it you left?"

"Left? Don't be crazy! Their argument was hilarious. She was like, 'are you cheating on me?' and he was like, 'it's not cheating if you're doing it too.'"

Gary laughed. "Some guys are stupid like that."

"Girls too." Leaf added, "That girl tried to justify sleeping with his best friend as not cheating. That's what happens when you meet a guy in a club!"

"I've met a lot of girls in a club before and those dates have always been pretty good."

"Because they ended in bed?" Leaf ventured.

"Most of them start there after we meet." Gary corrected.

"Of course. How silly of me." Leaf pretended to slap herself. "I can't believe I fell for that trap too." she added under her breath.

"Actually, you initiated things with me."

"What?" Leaf whipped her head round so fast that her hair managed to whip not only Gary's face but her own too. She was shocked that he heard her and by his insinuation. "I know I was drunk that night but I remember what happened. You put a hand round me and pulled me to you that night while we danced to Braveheart."

"No, we were talking and drinking at the bar and you kept touching my arm, then my chest and you moved in until you were," Gary moved to laptop out the way and moved until his face was an inch away from her face, "this close." he finished. "I simply fulfilled your intention."

Leaf pouted and looked away, her cheeks flushed from his proximity. "Not true."

"Has being pregnant affected you memory?" Gary laughed and replaced his laptop back onto his lap. "I distinctly remember you wearing that black lacy dress that matched your underwear."

Leaf's mouth fell open. She did indeed have a black dress with underwear that matches it but that was not what she was wearing that night." I wasn't wearing a black dress that night." Leaf defended. "It was a red dress I was wearing and I remember because I had no problem trying to find it in your room which can I say has a really muted colour palette."

"Green underwear?" Gary suddenly said out loud.

"Yes! See, I told you!" Leaf knew for a fact that she was wearing her lucky green underwear that night.

"Actually I was just hazarding a guess but now that I mention it, it does ring bells." Gary said as he thought back. "But I still prefer you in your black ones with the ribbon corseting at front."

"Why do you know I have them? Have you been peeping in my underwear drawer?" Leaf asked, slightly flustered.

"Don't need to when you've worn them in front of me before." Gary replied without missing a beat.

"But I've not work my black dress since..." Leaf started to count the weeks on her fingers.

"The night of the flat party where we all ended up at the club Sandstorm across town."

"Yeah and that was right at the start of the year. Back in September!"

"That was the first time."

"The first time?" Leaf sat up right and turned to look at Gary who was still working away. "There was more than one time?"

Gary looked up with his eyes. "I thought you knew that."

Leaf looked bewildered. As if something miraculous had just appeared before her eyes." Do I look like I knew that?" Since their conversation had started, Leaf voice had risen by several octaves from the whisper that she spoke in.

"I guess you don't remember the night at the bio soc pub quiz where we ended up in Club Aurora."

"How many nights were there?" Leaf was fanning her face from the hot flushes she was experiencing of embarrassment.

Gary couldn't resist laughing at her. Her cheeks puffed up and deflated with every breath she took.

At the sound of the doorbell, Gary got up and out of bed and grabbed his wallet.

Leaf looked at her surroundings as if trying to remember anything from those other nights that Gary had mentioned or anything else from other secret nights that she had not been informed about yet.

And she was starting to wonder how nobody seemed to be aware of her nights with Gary. Everyone knew Leaf and everyone Gary. Sure if they were noticed sneaking away together at least someone would have noticed and spread word and... Melody! What was Melody going to say or do to Leaf when she finds out!

Leaf's attention was snapped out from her thoughts when she heard Gary's voice from the living area outside him room.

"I was on the phone."

"We thought you were hiding a secret girl in there." May giggled.

"You'd both know if I had a girl in there."

Leaf could picture Gary retreating with a cheeky wink and right on cue, he reappeared in the room, kicking his door shut behind him. He had a pizza box in one hand and a glass of juice and a carton in the other.

"Apple juice okay?"

Leaf nodded and leaned across the bed trying to grab the box of pizza. "I'm starving!" she practically pounced for the box, ripping into it when she failed to open the lid properly and she grabbed two sliced still joined at the seam and took a massive bite.

Gary watched the carnage before him and set the glass and carton down in his bedside table.

"Let's watch something else. This date is making me never want to go on one again." he said nodding towards the couple on screen.

Leaf managed to give a vague nod. Either that or she was trying g to detach the string of cheese.

Gary flicked through the channels.

"Aren't you going to take a slice?" Leaf asked.

"In a minute. There's nothing on. Want to put a movie on?"

"Put on 'The Other Women'."

Gary gave Leaf a disapproving look. "My choice this time. You picked last time and it was a sappy movie."

"I think the word you're looking for is beautiful." she wiped away a fake tear with her index finger and looked into the distance dreamily.

"No. Let's watch this." he held up a DVD for 'Dead Alive'. It's been a long time since I watched something like this."

"No," Leaf said, "the baby doesn't want to."

Gary sighed. "Fine. What does the baby want to watch?"

"Cinderella?" Leaf said which started a long discussion about Disney films and Princesses, in which Gary insisted that Aerial was the best looking one and Leaf argued that he only think so because she's practically topless for half the film.

The telly was on the news channel as they ate their pizza since they never got round to deciding on a film.

"Are they still out there?" Leaf asked softly, sticking her ear to the door.

The pizza had long been finished and Gary had finished his paper too. He was lying back on his bed, and had flicked the channel over to show the tennis which he watched contently with one arm tucked behind his head. Despite Leaf's poor effort at nagging him to put a shirt on, Gary did not oblige and had remained topless all night.

"Probably. We'd be able to hear his room door shut if they had moved things to the bedroom." Gary said. "You know you can stay here, right? I've already seen everything."

Leaf looked at him wide eyed in shock. "Stop saying that!" she blushed and plopped back down onto the edge of the bed. "And the main thing is that I need the bathroom! This apple juice has run its course."

"Just go out and use it. They'll find out about us eventually."

"I can't do that!" Leaf exclaimed in hushed tones. "Then other people will know."

"And that's bad because?" Gary raised a brow at her.

"Well, off the top of my head, May is friends with Melody and Melody has her undying love for you and I work with her."

"Melody and I were a long time ago. We were barely even a couple." Gary shot down made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Next point."

"Also off the top of my head," Leaf started, "you've not broken the news to your family yet and there are a lot of people that are either from Pallet Town or are your family friends. Those people could seriously complicate thing."

"Fair point." Gary said. "But you do realise that everyone will find out sooner or later, right? You're starting to show."

"Am I?" Leaf looked down at her stomach which still looked pretty flat from her angle. She still had a clear view of all her toes.

"You've definitely grown slightly. You feel less bony when I hug you."

"You're the second person to make a comment about my recent weight change. Maybe I need to buy some new looser t-shirts."

Gary shrugged. "Didn't you need to pee?"

"Yes, now go distract them so I can run to the bathroom."

Gary nodded and rose to his feet and signalled Leaf to follow him. Just before he opened the door, he put a hand on the doorknob and turn to Leaf. "On my cue just walk like my shadow."

It wasn't his best plan but Leaf went along with it anyway before she resorted to relieving her blather into a cup.

Gary opened his door as normal and watched May and Drew, making sure they would either made small talk with him to be polite or ignore him. The pair chose to do the former and immediately struck up conversation with him.

"You're still up?" Drew asked. He was practically lying on the couch with May lying flush against him.

"I just finished a whole pizza and drank a whole carton of juice." Gary said. "Just going to the bathroom."

"Just surprised since you're normally in bed early on a Wednesday night."

"Something came up today and I had to sort it out." Gary replied calmly. "Don't mind me, I'll just be a minute. Then you can have your privacy back." he grinned at them.

May flushed a shade of red that was almost as red as the lipstick mark on Drew's collar.

The pair turned back to the TV and Gary took the opportunity to shield Leaf as they snuck into the bathroom down the hall.

Once inside the bathroom Gary locked the door behind them with both brunettes inside.

"Something isn't right here." Leaf whispered, trying to be subtle about the fact that Gary was on the wrong side of the door.

"I'll face away. If they come up the hall and see me on the other side of the door it'll raise suspicion."

Grudgingly, Leaf agreed and followed the plan.

The bathroom was surprisingly clean for a place that was shared by guys. Leaf couldn't imagine Gary or Drew being guys who clean but she so couldn't see them being the type of people to live in filth.

When they finished in the bathroom, Gary repeated the procedure to retreat back to the room. This time May and Drew paid no attention to him, making their journey easier. He shut his room door behind him and slipped out of his casual bottoms, prepared for bed.

Leaf couldn't help but stare. Now that Gary was ready to go to sleep, what was going to happen? Gary was almost naked and she was still in her work clothes, a rather uncomfortable outfit to wear as pyjamas.

Gary had climbed under the covers already when he suddenly remembered Leaf, who he noticed stood awkwardly by the door. He chuckled to himself. "You know you can sleep on the bed too. I won't do anything."

"It's not that." Leaf said and looked down at her outfit.

"Sleep naked?" he suggested back. "Can't say I have a problem with that idea." he had a mischievous glint to his eye.

"We both know how that ended last time."

Gary got up again and went into a drawer and pulled out a plain white t-shirt and tossed it to Leaf. "Wear this."

Leaf caught it and unfolded the fabric then held it up to her body. The hem reached her upper thigh which should be enough for her to remain decent. Her next problem was changing into it, which realistically should not have been a problem since he had just heard her pee.

Noticing her hesitation, Gary said: "Go ahead, I already know you have a small freckle just above the base of your tailbone. Slightly to the left hand side, if I remember correctly."

Leaf stared at him with wide eyes for the umpteenth time that night. "Are you making some sort of blemish map of my body? Because that is one freakishly accurate describing you just did."

Gary laughed.

Leaf turned round and slowly unbuttoned her shirt and mentally prayed that Gary had either turned away or went to sleep already (ideally facing the other way with his face under the covers). With lightning speed, Leaf let her shirt drop to the ground by her feet and pulled the t-shirt on and she turned round, her cheeks heated up as she met his eyes.

She quickly tore her gaze away and went round to the other side of the bed and climbed under the sheets. Then tried to take her skirt (which she noticed had gotten slightly tighter in recent weeks) and tights off.

Gary looked at her with a quizzical brow as she rocked the bed in the process.

"I'm trying to get my skirt off." She explained, concentrating her efforts on the task.

Gary gave her the flirty grin again. She was sure that was the move that he must've used to lure her in. "Look at you trying to seduce me again."

Leaf slapped him across the bare chest again." Go to sleep."

Gary laughed. "Goodnight." he rolled towards Leaf and gave her a peck on the forehead then rolled back to his side of the bed and flicked his lamp off, plunging them into darkness for the rest of the night.

* * *

Fin.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And in answer to the questions that you're thinking but aren't actually aware that you're thinking… Yes, I have noticed that my chapters keep getting longer by around 500 words a pop and yes, it is likely that I will have updated again by next week.

Until then, I will leave you all to rest and I'm going off to bed! Goodnight world!

*silver-hedgehog

x x x


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